Roommates
by patalano
Summary: Alex just moved to New York and needs someone to share an apartment with. Piper has a spare room up for rent... AU. Vauseman. M for language, drugs and sex.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! A short story, guess I needed something happier than 'How far can we go', and this idea just popped up, so here you go. Written in a rush, so I apologize for any mistakes.**

**As always, reviews and suggestions are welcome.**

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><p>Alex was having a bad day.<p>

Her whole life she had dreamed of living in a big city, somewhere you could go out at 3am and find an open restaurant or meeting open minded people who surrounded themselves with culture, all valid reasons that led her to moving from that quiet and lifeless neighborhood in the middle of New Jersey to Brooklyn, New York.

"The big Apple, the city of dreams", they said. Pffft. More like the city of noise and around 100 people applying for the same low end job with a terrible paycheck, paying ridiculous amounts of rent and almost fighting for a place in line of the new 'hot spot'.

5 months. 5 months in the big city. 5 months with a shitty paying job, writing reviews on independent plays, mostly always boring or annoying, performed by not-so-great actors.

5 months sharing a studio apartment with her best friend. Nicky didn't pay rent – her family was wealthy and her mom gave her the apartment, so the short girl allowed for Alex to move in, rent free. The only problem was the place didn't even have one bedroom – there was only space for Nicky's bed and an air mattress where Alex slept, a couple chairs on the sides of the room and only 10 steps from the kitchen area, no walls separating any spaces apart from the bathroom.

There was absolutely no privacy, but hey, it was free and that should be good enough, right? It wasn't. Alex has always been an introvert at home – she enjoyed sitting in silence, drinking a beer and reading a book, uninterrupted, a ritual she kept since the age of thirteen. Her habits the complete opposite of her current roommate, who enjoyed partying and reality shows far too much for Alex's liking.

Apartment hunting had been harder than she thought. Since she obviously couldn't afford her own place, the only option was finding a roommate, but it couldn't be Nicky, seeing as she didn't have an official job, which meant basically no income, except for the freelance shifts she sometimes worked at a restaurant, so Alex had to share an apartment with someone she had never met before. Unfortunately all the different people and culture you can find in New York also means most people were quite exquisite, like the hoarder or the clean freak she had met earlier in the day.

Alex was relieved to get to Nicky's studio, even if she had to put up with the extremely loud television or her friend's stupid jokes; looking forward to taking a bath while drinking an ice cold beer.

The door was locked, which was odd since Nicky rarely left the apartment, but the confusion went away as soon as she opened the door and took sight of the situation: Nicky was between some girl's legs, eating her out, unaware of the third person inside the apartment

"Shit, Nicky! You could've left a sock on the doorknob!"

Nicky lifted her head and smirked "Sorry. I was starving."

"What for, pussy?"

"You know me so well, Vause" she said, a side smile on her face, as she returned to the task in front of her.

Alex sighed and went inside the bathroom to escape the live sex session that was currently happening in the living room/bedroom/kitchen. She needed her own room.

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><p>About 30 minutes later, Nicky knocked on the door "Coast is clear, Vause, you can come out now"<p>

"I'm really, really tired of getting a front row seat at your sex life, Nick. Just text me or something so I won't run into you and some random girl anymore"

"You could learn a thing or two from my performances" the shorter girl walked to the refrigerator and grabbed two beers, handing one to her friend, who nodded as she took the bottle "Find a new crib yet?"

Alex opened her beer and took a sip "This city is full of weirdos!"

"And we're no exceptions" Nicky said with a smile and then took a sip of her beer

"Ooooh no Nick, I'm serious. I met a fucking hoarder today! Just like the ones on the stupid show you watch! The weirdo had like 20 boxes in the room he was renting and there was absolutely no space for anything else in the other rooms!"

"If you move there, I beg you to take me with you. I've always dreamed of meeting a real life hoarder!"

"I'm sure you'd love that" she took another sip "How'd you get a random girl to fuck you in the middle of the day?"

"Meeehhh, I was bored so I went on Craigslist and she was looking for new friends…"

"You bought home someone you met on fucking Craigslist?! Didn't I just tell you about New York freaks?!"

"Damn right she was a freak. Amazing finger skills. Nice friend, that girl."

Alex rolled her eyes; she REALLY needed her own bedroom…

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><p><strong>Well, since this is a Vauseman story, you'll meet Piper soon, just hang in there. Don't hesitate to reviewpm!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! The response to this was awesome! Smiled every single time I got a new email regarding the story, so THANK YOU!**

**Another quick chapter as I intend on updating this quite often.**

**Haven't given up on 'How far can we go', a new chapter might be up later tonight, so check that out if you're in the mood for a depressing story haha**

**Ps- if you haven't finished watching Breaking Bad, this chapter contains spoilers.**

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><p>A week later, Alex still couldn't find a roommate that fit in the "normal person" criteria and her patience was running thin. It felt like she had already called or visited half of New York, only to find apartments that either made her claustrophobic or had sad excuses for human beings living in them.<p>

In an attempt to cheer her friend up, Nicky decided to cook them spaghetti for lunch while she handed Alex her notebook, several tabs open on Chrome, many different ads open on a website

"I am NOT looking for an apartment on Craigslist, Nicky" she said, plopping down on the couch and sighing, but kept one eye on the screen, analyzing if maybe she would have any luck searching online

"Aww c'mon, I've found amazing stuff on that site! I mean, look at this lovely painting!" Nicky points to a terrible looking canvas that hung crooked on the wall, a huge grin on her face

"I've seen a youtube video of an elephant making better paintings than that thing"

"Listen, I'd love for you to hang around, you know I would, but you're always bitching about wanting your own space and I promised I'd help you find a new place. I'm sure you can find something decent online"

"Thanks but no, thanks. I'll stick to newspaper ads"

"Yeah, cause they've all been such great options. Just try it, can't be as bad as the guy that said you could live for free as long as you only walked around the place in your underwear… Which wouldn't be a bad sight, but still"

Alex shivered at the memory; the guy was a freaking creep. How much worse could internet ads be? At least some had photos of the apartment and had brief descriptions of the people that she'd share it with. Sure, everybody lies on the internet, but it was her last hope. "Fine. I'll look at 5 ads, MAX!" She got up and grabbed a beer on the refrigerator as she looked at Nicky throwing a piece of spaghetti on the kitchen counter, signaling Alex that it was cooked to perfection.

Lunch was surprisingly good and they sat side by side on the bed while they ate their meals, looking at the screen together

"Yo Vause, this one here is quite cheap, 750 bucks"

"'Not allowed in the kitchen from 10am to 3pm'? What the fuck?"

"Ooooh, do you think they're cooking meth?! We gotta check this one out, give me your phone" Nicky jumped up trying to reach for the cellphone but Alex got to it first

"We're not playing 'Breaking Bad', Nicky"

"Oooh, I love Breaking Bad. Gotta go back to watching it!"

"Hank dies, Walt dies, Jesse lives. Next?"

"Well thank you for ruining it, asshole. Hey, check this one out! 'You must be able to fail a criminal background check, preferably with at last one felony and be at least a level three sex offender'".

Alex rolled her eyes and clicked on another tab with a huge description and some nice photos that showed a nice, open apartment with no furniture. She motioned for her friend to read it:

_"26 - female, part time student looking for a roommate!_

_ONE ROOM AVAILABLE IN 2 AMAZING bedrooms with Hardwood floor!_  
><em>Beautiful bathroom!<em>  
><em>GORGEOUS kitchen!<em>  
><em>LAUNDRY and RECREATION IN THE BUILDING!<em>

_- SEPARATE AC UNITS !_  
><em>- Separate door locks!<em>  
><em>- Brand new bathroom!<em>  
><em>- Great living space!<em>  
><em>- Great closet space!<em>  
><em>- Hardwood floor!<em>

_JUST 3 BLOCKS TO THE MTA SUBWAY!_

_Tons of bars, restaurant, cafes, grocery just a few paces away!_

_MUST LIKE CATS AND HAVE GOOD CREDIT, GUARANTORS ARE WELCOME!_  
><em>Only first and security to move in!<em>

_Call/ Text Piper show contact info to view!"_

"That's the one, Vause! Give her a call!"

"Seriously, Nicky? She sounds like a thirteen year old! Who uses that many exclamation points? And what kind of person is a part time student at the age of 26?!"

"She does sound like a One Direction fan, I'll give you that" Nicky lit up a cigarette "But the place looks nice"

Alex sighed; It was a nice apartment, nice location and the place was apparently new, no visible cracks on the wall or questionable stains on the carpet, not denying that it had potential, so she typed up an email and waited for a reply.

**To: pechapman **

**Subject: Craigslist AD**

**Message: Hi, I saw your ad on Craigslist for a room, is it still available? I'm in Brooklyn right now, need a place as fast as possible and your ad made you seem like a normal person. Please reply.**

**Regards,**

**Alex**

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><p>About 3 minutes later, her phone blinked, showing she had a new email:<p>

_To: Alex(Craigslist)_

_Subject: RE: Craigslist AD_

_Message: Hello, Alex! Yes, the room is still available, but only for a woman, which I hope is your case..? Anyway, do you think we can meet up at Park Slope, since you're already in Brooklyn? There's a bar called South on Fifth Ave. Is 6 ok for you? Please text me to confirm._

_Xx, Piper_

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><p>Guess the part time student life wasn't that busy. She quickly opened the email, frowning and typing a reply<p>

**To: Piper**

**Subject: Craigslist AD**

**Message: I'm sorry, I thought the ad was for an apartment. Not a fan of online dating, but thanks.**

**-Alex**

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><p>That was it. All hopes of getting an apartment going down the drain... Until her phone blinked again.<p>

_To: Alex(Craigslist)_

_Subject: RE: Craigslist AD_

_Message: What? No! I'm not asking you on a date! Jesus! I just want to make sure you're not a weirdo before I show you the room! Text me when you get there._

_Xx, Piper_

Alex let out a small smile; whomever this Piper person was, she seemed innocent and yet persistent, both qualities she thoroughly enjoyed.

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><p><strong>So they finally found each other. Will they hit it off? Jump in bed together? Maybe hate each other? ;)<strong>

**Please review/PM! Looking forward to suggestions and want to see where you guys want this to story to go, so I can incorporate it to the story and make you guys happy.**

**I'll be messaging everyone that reviewed so far, but I can't reply to guests, so here's a special thank you to them!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I wrote this chapter a few days ago and didn't post it before because I don't really like it, I wanted their first interaction to be better but since you're all so sweet and asked for updates, here you go:**

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><p>Alex walked into the bar and was pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere of the place: wood flooring, red brick walls and old and worn out furniture made entirely of wood. Two male bartenders in their 20's were behind the counter, many alcoholic bottles behind them illuminated by low yellow lights. An old jukebox machine was placed right on the wall parallel to the bar, pinned to the wall and had a really small red bookshelf under it, containing a nice amount of board games such as Candyland and Battleship. The place smelled like beer and amazing food and Alex could feel her stomach growl; not only was she nervous at the idea of finally getting a new place but she hadn't had any lunch or snack.<p>

She ordered a glass of whisky and the bartender was quick and friendly, giving her a soft smile that seemed to calm her down a bit. Gathering courage, she pulled out her phone and found Piper's number, wondering if she should call or text. How are you supposed to just meet someone and move in with them, especially when you've barely met! Trusting your house to a stranger? What if this Piper person was, in fact, a crazy One Direction fan, adorning her walls with posters of teenage boys?! Or a kidnapper? Maybe she lures people in with the offer of a great and cheap apartment and sells their organs? She decided she was being silly and pulled out her phone and sent out a text.

**To: Piper**

**Hey, it's Alex, I'm at the bar, are you here yet?**

_To Alex: _

_Oh, shit, I'm running late. Order me a beer and shot combo?! Be right over_

Well, she already knew two more things about her possible new roommate: she's not punctual and she has a lot of audacity to ask Alex to pay for her drinks before even hearing what her voice sounded like. So far, not so good.

15 minutes later and Piper's drinks already drowned down by an impatient brunette, the door flung open, revealing a tall, skinny blonde girl that had her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, light wash jeans, a light pink v neck t-shirt and white converse, a little out of breath, revealing she would've been even more late if she hadn't ran. Alex was facing the other way, her eyes fixed on the small television that hung on the wall, not really paying attention to it.

_To Alex:_

_Hey, I'm here! Who are you?_

Alex almost jumped up with the sound of her ringing phone when she felt a hand on her right shoulder and turned around, looking at Piper for the first time and being completely mesmerized at the sight

"Hi! Are you Alex?" Piper asked, her breath finally slowing down

"Hey!" she smiled, a bit too wide for her taste "Piper, right?"

"Yes! Hi!" she sat next to Alex and looked at the counter before realizing her shot and beer glasses were empty "Sorry I'm late, I came as fast as I could"

Alex realized the blonde was disappointed that Alex hadn't ordered her drinks, so she called the bartender and pointed at Piper. He soon replaced the glasses with 2 beer and shot combos "Your beer was getting warm, so I asked him to serve you a cold one when you arrived" she moved Piper's drinks closer to the blonde "Cheers?"

Piper's eyes glistened; there was something about the woman standing in front of her, she just couldn't really figure out what, but cheered anyway: "To our apartment!" she said, with the biggest smile on her face, one Alex soon found capable of making her insides move; now, more than ever, she wanted that apartment. They clicked their shot glasses together and drank them, making funny faces and sipping the beers in an attempt to cool their throats down from the burn the vodka shot left.

"So… as you can see, I'm a girl" Alex said as she smirked and moved her seat closer to Piper

"Oh, yes, yes, I'm SO sorry about that! I didn't mean-"

"It's ok, kid" and took a sip of her beer "Wasn't the first time, sure won't be the last"

Piper smiled shyly; she liked this girl. They certainly could be friends, she just knew it.

"I really need to find a place, though, Piper. I'm stuck sharing a studio with my friend and you have no idea how barbaric it is to share such a small space with a human prototype", both girls laughed at the silly joke.

"Well… Alex, I think you'd like the apartment, I mean, it's not much and there's nothing really there yet like plates and stuff because I just moved in, you actually contacted me about 5 minutes after I posted the ad on Craigslist! I guess you were meant to see it!"

"I'm sure I'd love any place that had walls and doors… So, does this mean I have a shot at renting the room?"

Piper smiled at her and ordered two grilled cheese sandwiches, causing Alex to lift an eyebrow at how hungry the blonde sounded; she was definitely slim and didn't look like the kind of person that eats hundreds and hundreds of calories in only one meal. "One's for you"

"Piper, it's ok, you don't have to order me food"

Alex didn't enjoy being told what to do. She was always, ALWAYS in control… But when Piper took control and ordered, she simply didn't mind. Actually, she enjoyed the fact that the girl thought of ordering her something. Every conception she had made about the blonde was crashing down: she was convinced they wouldn't get along, but the blonde was turning out to be quite a pleasant company and not so bad on the eyes.

"You HAVE to try this! Seriously, Alex, it's amazing, you won't regret it" Piper said, placing a hand on Alex's knee, causing a smile to appear on her face

"What else do I need to know about you? Other than the fact you order people food when you don't even know if they've already eaten and that you have a real big and completely uncomprehensive love for exclamation points?"

The blonde lifted an eyebrow at this. Alex had paid enough attention to even notice the excessive amount of exclamation points she had used on the ad. So this was Alex: a mysterious girl with cool looking boots and a worn-out leather jacket… She was different from anything Piper knew; Alex looked like fun, like possible adventures and many drunken conversations that could last for hours…

Finally stepping out of her gaze, she refocused her eyes, looking into Alex's. "Ohhh, well I'm 26, I just moved to the city literally two days ago, I'm going to culinary school and I don't have a job which is why I'm renting the spare room, so I can pay some of my bills… Oh, I have a cat! Do you like cats? Because if you don't, you have to tell me, I can't stand animal violence-"

"Wow, wow, slow down, kid!" Alex chuckled at the blonde, she looked like the most adorable thing she had ever seen. It seemed that everything she hated in others amused her when said or done by Piper, and they had only met about half an hour ago. "You said you don't have a job, so how will you pay your share of the rent?"

"Oh, I don't really pay rent, this place is one of my grandmothers properties and since I had to move to New York for school, she lets me live there rent free" she said proudly

"I see". A rich girl, she should've known: the apartment looked really nice and the asking price was quite low considering New York rent prices. It could be a win-win situation, right?

"You can ask me anything! If we're gonna live together, we should know as much as possible about each other!"

She actually used as much exclamation points in person as she does online. She was also absolutely endearing, and Alex knew she was screwed.

"Alright then tell me: are you a One Direction fan?"

"Yes, I mean, I really like some of their songs and they're all so cute"

"Oh god!"

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><p><strong>I appreciate everyone's reviewsPMs. If anyone isn't registered on the site and can't PM me but still feels the need to contact me, you can send me a tweet, my URL is in my profile.**

**I'm also wondering if you'd like longer chapters or stick to the way chapters are now(around 1,000 words each) with more frequent updates? **


	4. Chapter 4

**Yep, so... another update in less than 24 hours. As soon as I laid in bed last night, chapter 5 invaded my mind and I had to write it... Which meant I also had to write chapter 4, so here it is. Reason I'm posting so soon is because I seriously cannot WAIT for you guys to read what's next ahaha sooo, here you go:**

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><p>"Oh my god, this is amazing!"<p>

Piper smiled at Alex eagerly biting into her sandwich, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the taste. The blonde took a bite of her own sandwich and let out a small moan at the taste "I know, right?!" and chuckled.

They finished their sandwiches in silence, eventually looking at each other's faces that beamed with satisfaction, trading smiles and feeling unusually comfortable with each other's presence.

"Where did you find this place? I'm kind of in love with it"

"Google! I told you I don't know anything in New York. I only come here because it's one street away from the apartment, that way I don't get lost" the blonde smiled, cleaning the sides of her mouth with a napkin, causing Alex to bite her bottom lip "If you end up moving in we can come here often, you know, maybe make it a weekly thing"

"So there's a chance I will NOT be getting the room?" Alex smirked

"Maybe…" Piper said with a smile, but of course she didn't mean it. She had cut ties with pretty much everything and everyone she knew. She now lived in a brand new city with no friends, but being there with Alex looked like they'd been friends for years. "You could always hate it, or hate me, for that matter"

"I highly doubt that"

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><p>The building was identical to many others in that street; it was grey with 3 floors and a small staircase that lead up to the front door. It looked welcoming and calm, leafs falling from the trees gave it an extra homely touch, and Alex was quick to see herself living in such a nice place – a definite improvement from her hometown.<p>

Piper grabbed Alex's hand as soon as they reached their building and lead her up the stairs, opening the front door and walking up to the second floor. "It's this one" she said as they reached the door, letting go of Alex's hand.

The blonde opened the door to apartment 2B and revealed a nice living room; the walls were painted a light shade of grey, the window frames and ceilings were white and the hardwood floors were shining like new. There were curtains made of a cloth that looked like tweed, but more expensive (although Alex had no idea what it was called), in a light yellow shade that made the room seem bright. There was a single teal colored couch with arm rests on both sides and wooden legs and it was the only real piece of furniture. It was definitely not new, but it still looked really comfortable.

"So, what do you think? I know I need to buy furniture and there's no tv yet but-"

"It's perfect, Piper" Alex smiled at her and laid her hand on one of the blonde's arms "I love it"

"Come on; let me show you your room"

Again, Piper took Alex's hand, this time intertwining their fingers together, making Alex divert her eyes to their connected hands and almost bump her body into a wall.

The room had a great size. Windows occupied most part of the wall in front of them, and it also had an old style white heater by the floor; the right wall had a small closet built into it. The walls and floors were the exact same shades as the living room. It was empty and Alex felt she couldn't even fill half of it with her stuff. A huge improvement from sleeping beside a snoring Nicky.

"Sooo, do you like it? It's not too big but depending on your bed's size you'll be able to fit it here" Piper said, her left hand leaning on the doorframe, an expectant smile on her face as she watched Alex inside the room.

"I love it" Alex turned around and looked into Piper's eyes "And I'm pretty sure my air mattress will fit just fine"

"Really? Like… a water bed?"

"No" she chuckled "An actual air mattress. I don't have a 'real' bed yet"

Piped nodded, still looking into Alex's eyes. "Do you wanna see my room?" she asked bluntly, causing the brunette to lift an eyebrow "So you can see how it looks like with a real bed in it", the blonde blushed.

"Sure"

Piper turned around, shifting her gaze from the taller girl and walked to the next door in the small corridor, opening it to reveal a room slightly bigger than the last one. Instead of one window, this room had two smaller windows on the same wall, adorned with sliding beige curtains and her heater had been painted silver. It was almost unnoticeable but still a nice touch. The bed was really big and looked like the most comfortable thing Alex had ever seen – a fluffy light grey headboard looked like it'd be perfect as a support for your bed during late night readings. 4 huge pillows were scattered around the bed over white sheets, and a white duvet was messily laying on top of everything. A few small boxes were scattered on top of luggage bags and there were a few books peeking out of them. Using one of the windows for support, there was a blue street sign that said 'Rue Cartier Dowes', probably a souvenir bought overseas.

"I'm sorry about the mess; I really wasn't expecting anyone and I didn't have time to clean up before you came"

"I like it. It smells like you"

Piper blushed and Alex walked further into the room, taking a quick glance at the books as the blonde watched her.

"But I have to say I was kind of expecting posters of teenage boys on the walls" Alex said with a smile that quickly faded as she felt a slap on her arm

"I was just messing with you! I don't even know their songs!"

"That's a relief" she looked at the clearly embarrassed girl in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder blade and they both smiled "In that case... when can I move in?"

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><p>After settling arrangements and signing a few papers, Alex headed to Nicky's studio in order to start packing her things right away, in hopes of moving in with Piper the next day. She didn't really have a lot of things, but she still agreed to let the blonde help her the following morning;<p>

The doorbell rang and Alex was quick to get it, opening the door to reveal Piper, dressed in blue skinny jeans with a few small rips, an oversized cream colored sweater and nude colored flats, a small Prada purse hanging off her left shoulder and her hair was down, falling over the area of her breasts.

"Hey" the brunette stepped aside, giving Piper space to walk inside "I like your hair down"

"Thanks" the blonde blushed and walked further into the apartment, taking sight of a sleeping(and snoring!) person "I take it that's your friend? I believed you called her a human prototype?"

"That's the one"

"You weren't kidding when you said the place was small! Is the rent proportional to the size of the place?"

"No rent. Nicky owns the place" she walked to the kitchen and the blonde followed her close "Her mom gave it to her, I'm pretty sure she hand-picked the smallest apartment she could find just to make Nick upset" Alex shrugged, a little uncomfortable talking about her friend's relationship with her mom "I made coffee, do you want some?"

Piper noticed the change is Alex's mood and sighed in relief when the subject changed to coffee. "YES!" she responded, a bit too eagerly "I mean… yes, I'll have some coffee"

They drank in silence and soon finished packing everything. Piper leaned against the small kitchen's counter while the brunette removed the air from her mattress, before folding it up and throwing it in a luggage bag.

"All set"

By the time they were leaving, Nicky still hadn't moved from the spot she was in bed and Alex decided she'd write a note, sticking it to a beer bottle, making Piper lift an eyebrow and wonder why she chose the beer bottle out of all places. Alex seemed to catch up with her thoughts and replied before Piper could ask "Only place I'm sure she'll find the note"

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><p>After a few arguments, Piper managed to convince her new roommate to catch a cab to their apartment, insisting it was rather 'impossible to carry this stuff in the subway', making Alex roll her eyes at how spoiled the girl was. It wasn't that far away from Nicky's place but it'd still cost some money that she didn't plan on spending, but as soon as they arrived and started carrying the boxes and bags full of heavy belongings up the stairs, they were both glad they'd decided on a cab.<p>

Piper placed the last box in the middle of the almost empty living room and looked at her new roommate who was shifting through the boxes and taking out some old books, probably bought at secondhand bookstores, and she couldn't help but think that was SO Alex. She couldn't describe what that meant; they'd only known each other for less than 24 hours… But it was so real, so full of emotion, so… raw. Alex was just… mesmerizing.

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><p><strong>I've been getting a lot of amazing feedback saying this story is funny, which is weird because I never intended on it, so I hope you won't be upset if it doesn't really last long haha.<strong>

**I also made these last two chapters a tad longer, since you asked for it, but I understand they're still short, promise I'm working on that.**

**So, do you think they're developing feelings for each other in a romantic way? Will they jump into a relationship or maybe just casual sex? Guess away and please review!**

**ps - i hope you guys are happy that Piper isn't actually a One Direction fan lol I just wanted to create some sort of inside joke between them so I can mention it again later on!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I almost gave up on this story because I seriously lost this whole chapter and then managed to delete the 'notes' file on my phone which had all key points and future ideas for this… and then almost deleted the whole thing again when I turned my computer off before saving it. So yes, I'm a clumsy mess. Decided to keep going because of all the amazing reviews you've left, so, please, keep them coming.**

_This chapter is dedicated to bluepaintbox, who's been really helping me out with this story, so here's a huge thank you to Liz =)_

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><p>They had spent the whole day unpacking, Piper was motivated by Alex's attempts to put everything in place and organize her clothes, so she managed to catch up with the boxes she had been too lazy to go through before. The living room now had a few decorative items like some of Piper's candles and a photo frame. Both women had a considerable amount of books and they decided to put both of theirs together on a stack by the living room window, agreeing they could borrow from each other anytime.<p>

"What's this?" the blonde said as she reached the brunette's bedroom, whilst holding a miniature toilet she found on kitchen counter

"An ashtray"

"Are you serious? Who buys a miniature toilet ashtray?"

"You've clearly never met Nicky. Don't worry, I'll keep it out of your sight"

"You can't smoke in here"

"I won't smoke in the living room, relax"

"No, I mean, nowhere in the apartment! And do you know how dangerous smoking is? One single cigarette contains almost 7.000 toxic substances! It's bad for your health, Alex!" Piper was seriously freaking out by now and Alex couldn't fight her smirk

"Alright, no cigarette smoking"

"…aren't you going to argue with me? Because they're supposed to be addictive and I'm sure you're gonna crave them-"

"I'm sure I'll survive"

"This reminds me, should we create our roommate agreement now?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Alex laughed then looked over at Piper, still by the door, but the blonde wasn't laughing or even smiling "Wait, are you serious?"

"Yeah, I mean, nothing too serious, just some simple rules"

"Oookay, like what?"

"I don't know, household chores?"

"You cook, I clean. Next?" Alex said with a cocky smile appearing on her lips

"I'm serious, Alex! We have to figure out who's gonna vacuum and take out the trash or maybe we could hire some sort of cleaning service-"

"Piper" Alex got up from the floor and moved towards Piper "We each clean our own rooms and bathrooms. We can split the common living areas. Or maybe when you cook yourself something, you make enough so I can eat as well, and then I'll take over cleaning. Sounds good?" Her tone was firm and Piper looked startled, only nodding her head in response. "And if you need me to clean up for you or you need me to do anything else, you just tell me, ok? I'll do the same" another nod. Adorable.

The taller girl returned to her air mattress but Piper wasn't ready to drop the conversation yet "Hey, listen, my old roommate… Um, let's say I've been graced with my fair share of running into naked strangers, so if you could give me a heads up when you have a guy over, you know, so I'll be sure to be dressed all the time and hopefully they will, too" she lifted her eyes to an smirking brunette

"Surely won't be a problem"

"I mean, I'm alright with you having guys stay over, just not a big fan of having a strangers genitals shoved in my face in the morning"

"Kid, I'll make sure my female 'friends' put some clothes on before they leave my room"

"Oh" Piper tried to hide the surprise and the blush in her face, but it was a failed attempt, seeing the way Alex had a smug smile on her face "Oh, okay. Okay"

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><p>Most of Alex's work was done at night, seeing as she wrote reviews for plays and almost all of them happened during the evening. It was a Saturday and miraculously she had to attend a Broadway play, finally something worth watching and not just some monologue written by a 50 year old bald fat guy with really weird fetishes.<p>

"Do you ever look at anything other than your phone's screen?" Alex walked into Piper's room, the blonde laying back on her bed with her fingers moving fast across her iPhone's screen.

Piper looked up and showed her tongue "I'm just texting with a few people"

"You know, I have to watch a Broadway production tonight, I got an extra ticket if maybe you wanna come"

"Shit, I can't, I have… plans"

"Thought you didn't have any friends in New York?"

"I don't, I've kind of got a date"

"Oh, ok, cool" the brunette shrugged, walking towards her room and closing the door, something neither her nor Piper had done before.

Something about Piper having a date sounded annoying and just wrong and Alex thought for a second she could be jealous, but she hadn't invited Piper to the show as a date, it'd been a friendly invitation, something to get her out of the house and actually see more of the city… Right?

She thought about inviting Nicky, but to be honest she had way too many things on her mind and being alone would allow her to put some feelings in order. She was finally getting somewhere in life: new city, new job, new place… And a new friend: Piper. Alex had been constantly thinking about how much she likes Piper, how she feels a connection between them but also how cute and enjoyable the blonde was. Alex had been smiling lot more often, and it felt good. She felt genuinely happy.

* * *

><p>Piper hadn't even started dressing for her date when Alex left for work, wearing a pair of skin tight leather pants and a black blouse with black pointy heels, looking absolutely gorgeous. She kept thinking she should've cancelled her date, after all it was just a guy she barely knew.<p>

Alex should've been her priority, it was very important for them to get to know each other so they could live in harmony, and the brunette just seemed so fascinating to Piper, she could listen to her talk all day long, there was so much determination in that voice and the blonde swore she would never get sick of that sound… Which was exactly why she had decided on going to her date: her level of attraction to Alex was really high and scary, not necessarily in a sexual way, but an intense and sudden connection; she really enjoyed their time together.

Piper got lost on the way to her date but after asking a few strangers for directions, she finally reached it. It was an almost blind date, seeing as they had met through social media, but Jake seemed like a nice guy: as they exchanged texts, she learned he was polite, successful and loved animals. His photo showed a nice looking guy in his early 30's and Piper had agreed to meet him for drinks.

Confusion appeared on her face as she saw the man that was approaching her: it was definitely Jake, but around 10 years older. He introduced himself with a handshake and sat across her, ordering drinks and food for both of them, not even giving the blonde the time to contest. She assumed he was trying to be a gentleman, but he was so annoying talking about himself and completely ignoring the fact he was much older than he claimed to be. Their appetizer arrived, barbecued shrimp, and before Piper could even reach for her fork, he grabbed her plate, serving her part of the food and cutting her shrimp in half. She almost asked if he was also going to feed her but decided on not giving him any more ideas.

The blonde had had enough, the guy was acting like she was 5 years old and he was her dad. He might've been amazing for girls with daddy issues but that was not her case. She just wanted to get away from him, making something up and leaving as soon as she could and catching a cab home.

She arrived home to an almost dark living room, only lit by some of the candles Piper had placed all around the apartment and the lamp beside the couch, lighting up the book Alex was reading as she sat on the couch, her feet propped up.

"You know, you said date but I think the right name was 'speed-dating', cause I'm sure you're back way earlier than you would've had there been a happy ending"

"Oh, don't even talk about it! The guy was insane!" Piper dropped her jacket on the floor by the door, making Alex cringe, and walked further to the kitchen "Wine?"

"Sure, why not" Alex grabbed her bookmark and closed the book and put it on the floor, sitting up straight so Piper could seat beside her.

Piper served Alex a glass of wine and sat on the couch, her back turned to the armrest and facing Alex's profile, bending her knees up on the couch and wrapping one arm around them, the other holding her own glass. "I think it was the worst date of my life, Al"

"It probably wasn't that bad. Where did you meet him?"

"On Tinder…"

"Jesus, Piper. You really need to stop using shitty websites"

"Hey, don't talk bad about Craigslist!"

"That place is like a psychiatric hospital!"

"Well it got me you, didn't it?"

Alex smiled and turned to Piper, her eyes shining in a different way and the most sincere smile she could ever recall adorning her face. Not a bad end of a Saturday night: red wine and Piper Chapman.

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><p><strong>I know I said there was going to be an intense scene in this chapter but after your reviews and a conversation with Liz, I've decided to postpone that. Don't worry though, it wasn't smut between them and it might be on the next chapter.<strong>

**Everytime I get a review, it gets me pumped up to write more; I guess I fall a bit back in love with this little story, so if you can, please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hiiiiiiiiiii!**

**Really small update and I apologize for that, I've just been a bit sick so I'm a tad behind on writing.**

**To the anon that called me cruel for not updating my other story, I apologize and promise I'm working on it!**

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><p>Alex has always had a strong sex drive and, for some reason, she was extremely turned on today, but seeing that it was still 2 in the afternoon and finding someone to take care of her needs would be ridiculously hard and time demanding, she decided she'd take care of her needs by herself as soon as she got home from a work meeting.<p>

Opening the apartment's door, she wanted to make sure she was alone before starting

"Pipes? You home?" she asked, for the first time hoping not to hear her roommate's voice.

"ALEXXXXX" Piper cried out and Alex's first thought was 'shit, gonna have to be quiet', but the blonde's voice seemed desperate "ALEX, COME HERE" the blonde screamed from inside her bathroom. The door was half open, so Alex knocked

"Forgot your towel?"

"Please come in"

The brunette walked inside, only to find her roommate on the shower floor… completely naked. Swallowing her own saliva and closing her legs together, she finally snapped out of her daze and realized something was off.

"I fell, I think I broke my arm, please help me" Piper said almost in tears as Alex quickly kneeled down, trying to see any signs that her arm was actually broken

"Can you move it?"

"It hurts"

Alex laid her hand on Piper's face and caressed her cheek with her thumb "I know it does, but can you move it?"

She reluctantly attempted to move and actually managed to do so, causing Alex to sigh in relief

"I don't think it's broken but we better take you to a hospital, here, let me help you up" she said, placing both of her hands under the blonde's armpits, her arms lightly brushing against Piper's breasts as she lifted her up and stood up in front of her, turning around to grab a towel. Returning her gaze to the injured girl, she realized Piper was crying. "Piper, it's ok, I'm here"

After wrapping the towel around Piper, Alex held on to her with an arm wrapped around her waist and led them to the bedroom, grabbing some underwear and a loose sweatshirt from the closet and handing them to their owner

"I can't put them on by myself"

Alex just nodded, kneeled down and motioned for Piper to place her legs between the holes and lifting her panties up but gasped when her eyes reached Piper's center, only a few inches away from her face. Thankfully, the blonde let out a small laugh in discomfort and Alex was able to come back to her senses and lift it all the way up, doing the same with the sweatpants. She then proceeded to put a bra strap slowly around the injured arm and Piper put the other arm around it herself. Alex's mind was racing and she stupidly thought the only way to close the bra was to put her arms around the blonde's body, almost hugging her, and closing the clasp behind her back.

"I won't hurt you, ok? I need to move your arm a bit to put it inside the sleeve of the sweatshirt, I got you a loose one so I won't have to move it around too much"

Piper nodded but couldn't hold back a groan and a tear falling from her eye as she felt a jolt of pain as Alex put it on, causing the brunette to look at her and all Piper could see in those grey eyes was fear. Alex was terrified but she would never admit it, trying to cover her emotions as she put the other girl's shoes on and carried her to the hospital.

* * *

><p>They made their way back to the apartment, Piper leaning against Alex like a child that clings to their mom when they get injured, heading to the bedroom and sitting on Piper's bed as they were greeted by her cat, Olivia.<p>

"I'm gonna hang this towel and mop the bathroom floor, do you need anything?"

Piper pouted, not knowing how to put what she needed into words: her arm wasn't broken and she didn't even need a cast, but it still hurt like a bitch. "Stay here with me"

Alex chuckled at the pout but kissed Piper's head and ran her fingers over her now dry hair "I'm not going anywhere, except maybe for food. Are you hungry?"

"Yessss, wine, please"

"That's not food" Alex chuckled "And I don't think it's a good idea to drink alcohol after taking painkillers, Pipes"

Another pout and Alex felt something clenching in her chest, like that lip movement was the most heartwarming thing she'd ever seen. She could never say no to Piper.

"One glass only, ok? I'll order us pizza and we can watch something on Netflix"

Alex rarely asked questions, she always made statements, and it fascinated the blonde. She was always so certain and confident about her actions and Piper felt like her roommate could keep her safe under any situation. Alex was genuinely sweet and caring, even if she tried to hide those qualities behind her tough image;

Sometime during the second movie they were watching, Piper removed her head from the crook of Alex's neck and looked up at the her face while they were sitting very close together under the covers, Alex's arm around her body and hand caressing the side of her body and she simply smiled, glad the girl hadn't noticed the way the blonde was studying each of her facial features. By the time she had memorized that whole side of her face, she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep with her head on the taller girl's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Piper opened her eyes the next morning to an empty bed and immediately felt saddened by it, but the pain from moving her arm quickly made those thoughts disappear and she concentrated on finding something to numb the pain.<p>

Walking inside the kitchen she noticed something on the counter: a bottle of pills and a note;

"I have a very important job interview this morning that I couldn't miss, but I bought waffles(they're inside the oven so the cat won't eat them). There's also juice in the refrigerator. Don't go all crazy on the pills and please don't take them on an empty stomach. Text me as soon as you can so I know you're ok. – A"

Suddenly forgetting about the pain, the blonde searched for her phone and typed a quick message

**To Alex: I'm so glad I have you.**

She had considered using a different word than 'have', but her mind was already made up. She had to have Alex for herself.

* * *

><p><strong>I knowww you're all thirsty for smut but I don't want to rush them into it; they've known each other less than a week now, but they're already developing stronger feelings for each other so they obviously won't be able to keep their hands to themselves.<strong>

**Do you think Alex feels the same way or she just wants to be friends/fuck buddies?**

**Will Piper take the lead or will she chicken out and wait for Alex to go after her? Should I add a little drama to this or do you just want them to get it on?**

**Please review =)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone that reviews, you make my day and I swear I re-read each one of them at least 15 times.**

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><p>Alex finally managed to carry that huge box up the stairs and inside the apartment. She laid it down on the floor, leaning against the wall for support so the tall box wouldn't fall flat on the floor. She threw her leather backpack on the couch and headed to Piper's bedroom. The door was wide open and Piper's eyes lit up as soon as Alex walked in.<p>

"Hey, kiddo" she walked towards the bed and planted a kiss on Piper's head "How's your arm?"

"It hurts" she said, pouting in a teasingly manner

"Did you take the pills? Did you eat first?"

"Yes Alex, I ate my waffles, I took the pills, in that order" the blonde smiled and grabbed Alex's hand, pushing her to sit on the bed beside her "How was the interview?"

The brunette's eyes were gleaming with happiness "I got the job! And I bought us something, come see"

'Us'? Fuck, did she really say that? Neither one of them believed their ears. Since when were they a 'us'? Did it mean Alex considered her more than a friend? She wanted to regret it, but couldn't bring herself to it.

Piper's mouth was hanging open as she finally stepped out of her daze and took sight of the box, realizing what was inside "You got a tv! A big tv! You don't even like tv!"

Alex shrugged but smiled at the fact the blonde remembered their conversation about electronic devices and how the brunette despised most of them, saying they were over-used. "I always wanted to have enough money to buy one of these, plus, this one has access to Netflix. Don't get me wrong but I'm kinda blind and your laptop screen isn't very big"

"So you bought a tv before you actually got a real bed? You're weird, Alex"

"That's why they call me 'the whole package'" she smirked and winked before the blonde nudged her with her good arm.

Piper was right and Alex actually spent hours thinking about why she had done that. Maybe it was her subconscious reminding her how much she enjoyed watching movies while cuddling with her roommate? No, Alex Vause doesn't do cuddling. She only cuddled with Piper because she had a rough day, despite not having a real injury, just a sprint… Alex tried to convince herself she'd gotten the tv because it was on sale and also, yes, because she didn't think she would ever be able to afford something nice like this. Her whole life so far had been very modest but Alex was determined to change things around and it felt amazing to see her dreams coming true.

* * *

><p>Piper was about to leave for class. It was still early morning and she had no idea if Alex even returned home last night, but as she made her way past the other bedroom's door, she noticed it was open so she peeked inside only to see a sleeping Alex, still dressed in last night's clothes. Piper walked back to her room, grabbed a sheet from her own closet and threw it on top of the sleeping girl before leaving for class.<p>

As soon as she realized she forgot her chef's knifes on the kitchen, Piper decided to head home and take the opportunity to change into a warmer jacket as she felt the cold wind blowing. She got to the apartment and grabbed her knifes from the kitchen and walked towards her bedroom to get the jacket as she passed by Alex's door; it was still open so she figured she was probably still asleep…

"HOLY SHIT!"

Piper stood still by the doorframe, her mouth hanging wide open in shock at the sight: Alex was still laying on her mattress, except now she had one of her hands on her bare chest, fondling her right breast and her other hand was moving inside her black panties.

Alex instantly froze at the sound and her eyes shot open; she removed her hand from her panties and covered both breasts with her other arm, slightly embarrassed at the situation but she couldn't help but notice that Piper hadn't looked away, a smirk appeared on her face as she decided to tease her roommate "You're staring. Like what you see?"

"ALEX!" Piper blinked quickly and shook her head but her thoughts remained on the brunette pleasing herself, making her stomach turn and a shiver to run down her spine "You were masturbating!"

"Yeah, I think I already knew that" she grabbed the shirt that had been lying on the floor and put it on "I wasn't expecting you home, you were gone when I checked"

"You checked if I was home?"

Alex got up on her feet as she nodded "Hence why I didn't bother closing the door. But I can't help but think you liked the view" she walked past the blonde, inside the bathroom and closed the door, leaving an astonished Piper staring at the air mattress.

* * *

><p>"You know what, I'm actually regretting buying that tv. I mean you've definitely improved from online dating apps but seriously, do you ever do anything that doesn't require a screen?!"<p>

Piper stuck her tongue out and sat up on the couch, patting the empty seat beside her. Alex sat down and turned to look at Piper "I can do a lot of things without anything electronic"

Alex lifted an eyebrow and smirked "Really? What kinds of things?"

Piper blushed. Alex has always been very flirty and straight forward, but she didn't seem bothered at all by their previous encounter, acting like it was no big deal, nothing worth discussing. "I can cook"

"You use an iPad to read the recipes!"

Piper opened her mouth, trying to seem shocked and offended and Alex expected her to smile; instead, her expression turned quite serious as she spoke in a lower tune, almost whispering "I don't want to screw them up"

The brunette lifted an eyebrow "You know you wouldn't screw up, your food's amazing"

A small smile finally appeared on her face "I always screw up somehow. Always have, always will. That's why I'm 26 with no job and I'm just starting culinary school. I screw things up a lot."

"Stop putting yourself down, seriously" Alex lifted Piper's chin with her index finger, looking into her eyes "You're gonna be an amazing chef. Don't let anyone tell you different"

Piper nodded as her eyes teared up. She could never stick to something and that was a big disappointment for her parents, who always judged her decisions as immature and precipitated, they seemed to have lost hope their daughter would ever win at life. She has never felt good enough for them because she didn't meet any of their expectations and standards. She has never been good enough.

Alex knew Piper was consumed in thoughts but didn't dare ask any questions. Clearly, something was wrong; something had hurt her so deeply that the scar was still fresh. Not knowing how to help the blonde, Alex felt some weird feeling in her chest, wishing there was any way she could remove that pain from Piper, and the only person that had ever made her feel that before had been her mom. She felt protective towards Piper, once again, only this time on an even deeper scale, and that thought alone was already very scary.

As if reading her thoughts, Alex put an arm around Piper and pulled her into a hug, her chin resting on top of the blonde's head "You're good enough for me." Those words hit Piper hard and she was no longer able to hold back the tears that fell from her eyes as she hugged the brunette back and hid her face on the crook of Alex's neck.

They stayed in an embrace for a good 10 minutes and the blonde had finally stopped crying sometime around that. When her breathing returned to normal, Alex kissed her head and used her free hand to type something on her phone. She then took Piper's hand, lifting both of them up "Come on, let's go"

"What? Go where?"

"You'll see"

* * *

><p>"Alex, why the hell are we going to New Jersey?! It's freezing here! I want to go home and hide under the covers in bed for the rest of the day!"<p>

"You surely enjoy rambling, huh?" Alex took Piper's hand and intertwined their fingers, trying to give them some warmth, which Piper instantly felt as she blushed at the contact "We're almost there, just hang on"

They got off the subway with their arms linked, walking really close together as Alex's checked a map on her phone with her other hand. They walked for about 15 minutes when Alex stopped and looked at the store in front of them and smiled "We're here"

Piper turned her face and started at what was in front of them "I've always wanted to come here! How did you know?"

"I see you watching Cake Boss all the time, kid. Safe bet"

Piper smiled from ear to ear, squeezing the brunette's hand and staring into her eyes before pulling her jacket's collars and bringing her close and locking their lips together.

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><p><strong>I apologize if the updates won't be as frequent, I have a lot going on right now and I'm just not in a happy place to write the cutefluffy story you guys deserve. I almost regret putting this chapter out but I needed to write this note so I wouldn't leave you hanging.**

**Please review, it really motivates me to write.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I got so many amazing reviews that I started typing away and realized there was already more than 7.000 words, so I broke the chapters down, but they're still a tad longer than usual.**

**Please don't kill me for this chapter**

_Also, more than a hundred followers? This is insane!_

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><p>It wasn't a real kiss – their lips were just pressed together for about 10 seconds but Alex didn't move away. Instead, she smiled as Piper removed her lips from Alex's and looked into her eyes<p>

"What was that for?"

"Shit, I'm sorry Alex, I, I don't-" Piper's words were interrupted as Alex kissed her cheek and put an arm around her, opening the door for them and walking inside Carlo's Bakery.

Alex, however, didn't say anything about the kiss and didn't try to kiss Piper again – something the blonde found very unusual; Alex didn't look like the type that takes things slow, hell, Piper thought Alex would be inside her by now, unless... Unless she simply didn't want to kiss Piper, as if she had no romantic feelings for her whatsoever.

Piper decided to keep quiet and enjoy Alex's company as she took sight of her dream bakery, not quite believing what she was seeing. The brunette chuckled at Piper's dazed expression "Choose anything you want, kid. My treat."

Piper managed to decide everything she was going to buy after about 20 minutes and a bazillion questions asked to the person working behind the counter. She bought a huge variety of cupcakes, brownies, cookies and even a few cannoli's, all in a takeout bag. She'd bought enough for both of them, hoping to spend the night on her couch with Alex, drowning themselves in sugar and wine.

However, her plans came crashing down as they arrived home and Alex quickly headed to her bathroom, fixing her makeup and grabbing a jacket, checking her watch a mumbling a "sorry, I have this… thing I can't miss"

"Oh, ok… Yeah, sure, do you want me to save you anything for when you return?" the blonde motioned to the big bag, but Alex shook her head no when she opened her door "Eat all you want Pipes, I'm not coming back tonight".

Realizing Alex was leaving for a date and would probably end the night in someone else's bed, Piper reached for the cupcakes and the bottle of wine, making her best Bridget Jones impression as she ate and drank alone on the couch, her heart starting to crack.

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><p>"I actually like your cat" Alex said as she pet Olivia, sitting beside the half-awake cat on the couch "Come here, let me try something"<p>

Piper hesitated but moved closer to them and kneeled down on the floor, trying to hide her annoyance as she felt a pang on her chest caused by Alex's date. It didn't help at all that Alex had ignored their kiss, only hurt the blonde more, but Alex ignored her rudeness, completely oblivious to the blonde's thoughts and too amazed by what she'd discovered

"Try to make eye contact with her"

The blonde lifted an eyebrow in confusion but obliged "…now what?"

"Shit, this is awesome. Keep looking into her eyes and blink slowly" Alex chuckled as the blonde did as she was told "Now look at her!"

Olivia had been keeping eye contact with her owner and as soon as Piper opened her eyes and looked back inside her cat's, the small green eyes slowly blinked back at Piper.

"It works!" Alex exclaimed, looking like she wanted to high five herself.

"What was that?!"

"If your cat loves you and you blink at them, they blink back as a way of blowing you a kiss… or as a way of saying they love you. One of these, I forgot which one" she shrugged

"How'd you know that?" Piper put an arm around her cat and pet it with her other hand

"I might've googled something about cats. I've never had a pet and accidentally killing yours wouldn't be a very pleasant experience. Plus, you'd kick me out"

"I would" Piper punched Alex's knee as she smiled "Why don't you get a cat? Olivia could use a friend"

Alex shrugged. "It's too much of a responsibility; I mean how many years do they usually live for?"

"Something like 10 to 15 years"

"See, that's a lot. I couldn't have an animal for that long"

Piper looked at her in confusion "Why not?"

"I don't do commitment, kid" another shrug "I was raised to avoid it"

Piper nodded and thought for a second before angrily getting up from where she had been sitting on the floor, going inside her room and closing the door, even turning the lock on, without saying a word. Alex sat with a confused look on her face and the phrase "What the fuck just happened?" playing over and over in her head.

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><p>As the weekend approached, Alex was leaving work and decided to text her roommate<p>

**Alex: Hey, I'm heading home, do you want Chinese or pizza?**

_Piper: Neither_

**Alex: Thai, then?**

_Piper: I don't think I'm going home tonight_

**Alex: Is everything ok?**

_Piper: Fine_

Alex sighed at Piper's coldness, suspecting it had something to do with last night's date, but not daring to ask. If she wanted to be a bitch, they could play the same game.

Piper didn't want to admit it but she was hurt, heartbroken even. She didn't want to allow Alex to stay inside her head all the time, but couldn't help it. If Alex didn't want her, fine. She would stay away and the first step was not to hang out with her roommate and avoid contact as much as possible.

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><p>The next week went by and both girls barely spoke to each other apart from the usual "good morning", "good night" and an occasional nod. They no longer greeted each other as they arrived and left the apartment, Piper only cooked a couple of times and never enough for both of them, but always leaving some of it in the fridge, deep down wishing Alex would find it and eat, but she should've known better because the brunette would never do so; She had too much pride and would never bend.<p>

However, Alex couldn't help but want to touch and talk to Piper. She missed her and seeing the girl get ready for school or for occasional dates she knew would suck, because no one could ever be good enough for Piper, her included, because Piper was amazing. Amazing and so fucking childish. Alex instantly became upset at Piper's behavior – the date she went on had been planned days before their almost kiss and it would be a terrible move to bail on Lydia. They'd been fuck buddies for quite a while now and while Alex found her personality extremely annoying, it'd always been only about sex and there was no denying both of them were good at it. Not to mention Lydia was a bit psycho – Alex feared she'd trace her down and bang on her door for hours if she cancelled their plans. "Psycho" also happened to be the nickname Nicky had given her and that was for a reason. There was absolutely no way Alex could bail out but as soon as they got to bed, she wasn't even in the mood, for the person in her mind was not the one that had been lying under her.

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><p>"Are you telling me that blondie walked in on you fucking your fingers?!"<p>

Alex sighed; Nicky always rewords phrases to make them unbelievably more barbaric. "Something like that"

"Oh man, this is the highlight of my week! Did she join you in some sort of a fingering party?" the shorter girl smirked but Alex rolled her eyes

"God, Nicky, you're disgusting… No, of course she didn't join me. And now she's acting like a 5 year old"

"She probably thought she had nothing on your magical sex powers and didn't want to let you down" Nicky took a sip of her beer and laid it on top of their table, sitting on a chair across the table from the taller girl. "Why the fuck are you so worried, though? I'm quite sure it wasn't the first time someone walked in on you"

"It's not just that… She kissed me"

"Whaaaat? Blondie made the first move?! Shit, I have to meet this girl! So did you two jump into bed or fucked in a good old bathroom stall?"

"I didn't do anything, I couldn't. She's not someone I can just fuck and pretend she doesn't exist, Nick, we live together and-"

"HOLY SHIT, Vause! You like her! You fucking like the bitch!"

Alex fixed her glasses, showing how uncomfortable she was and shrugged her shoulders "It doesn't matter if I like her"

"Why not? You scared she's gonna get jealous when you bring other girls home? Is she clingy?"

"Because I can't risk losing this apartment"

"We all know you're gonna get inside her at some point"

"I can't… I don't do relationships, Nick, you know that"

"Okay, Alex" the brunette's eyes quickly moved to stare at Nicky. Hearing her first name drop out of her friend's mouth was really rare, so she instantly knew the shorter girl was being serious for once

"Listen to me because I'm only saying it once and if you ever tell someone I said this I'll cut your throat and dump your body off the Brooklyn Bridge" Alex nodded "Good. I've known you for a long ass time and I know how you're changing everything in your life. You moved to a new place, you got a new job, you're conquering a shitload of stuff, but you insist on living exactly the same way when it comes to letting people in, how fucking stupid are you?! Why is it so different from everything else you've already changed and ended up being fucking awesome? Sure, blondie might be a pain in the ass and it could turn out worse than sucking dick, but shit you've been through those same possibilities with everything else, so just fucking change again and give her a shot! Ever considered the possibility that maybe someone can _add_ things to your little happiness list?! Why the fuck would you not want that?" she took a deep breath to catch some air after blurting all that out, shaking her head in disbelief and finishing her beer in a single gulp "If it doesn't work out at least you'll add another pussy to your vast collection" she was finally back to her usual self, words accompanied by a smirk.

Before she could say something, still very surprised by how serious her best friend had been and how it all actually made sense, she noticed someone walking inside the bar.

"Shit" Alex tried to hide behind Nicky "Shit", who turned to see what Alex was looking at when she saw a tall slim girl come inside the bar, walking towards their direction while talking to a short red head.

"Shit, she's hot, you know her?"

"That's Piper!" she answered in the lowest tone possible

"Oh, this has been such a great day!" Nicky stood up smiling and waved frantically at Piper "Hey, blondie! Get over here!"

Alex buried her face in her hands, shaking it in disbelief. Piper noticed Nicky and started looking behind her shoulders to find who this 'blondie' person was, but she soon realized the girl was talking to her when she saw the person sitting with her was Alex.

Piper frowned; 'how dare she let her stupid girlfriend talk to me', her thoughts interrupted by Alex who had considered her friend's speech, the girl stood up and introduced Piper to Nicky, who was already asking the waiter for an extra chair so they could all sit together, but Piper still shook her head and said they didn't want to bother them.

Before Nicky could think of something witty to say, Alex grabbed her roommate's wrist "Only one drink. You promised you'd meet Nicky". She was back to making statements, and the blonde found herself nodding and sitting down before she even managed to remember how mad she was, but it was too late now. "One drink"

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><p>As Nicky hit on Piper's friend they learned was from Culinary School, the two roommates were pretending to look around the bar but their gazes often met, making them look away. The blonde realized her friend actually seemed interested in the conversation she was having with Alex's friend; she stood up and headed towards the bar to grab another drink.<p>

She felt a shiver run down her spine as Alex walked up behind her, putting a hand on the end of Piper's back and spoke really close to her ear, her voice raspier than usual "Put it on my tab"

"I can pay for own my drinks, Alex"

"Yes, but I'm still buying you one. You're welcome", she said, making the blonde roll her eyes but accept the drink

"Thank you"

Piper decided to get away from the brunette and walk back to their table but Alex pulled her close "Why are you acting weird?"

"Wouldn't you like to know" she tried to walk away but Alex still grabbed her arm

"Yes, I would" she loosened her grip "I miss you"

"You see me almost every day, Alex"

"Fine, be an asshole" she finally let go of her arm

"Oh _I'M_ an asshole?! You know what, fuck you, Alex"  
>"What the fuck did I do to you?"<p>

"Nothing, Alex. You didn't do _shit"_ she slammed her drink on the counter, almost shattering the glass and walked back to the table, but her friend was too hung up on Nicky, so she grabbed her purse and stormed out of the establishment by herself.

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><p>She had once again ran away from her problems and hated herself for it – she truly believed Alex had no idea what she'd done to hurt her, because Alex isn't the kind of person that doesn't admit her actions, but also because she had absolutely no reason to lie; she had been trying to hang out, paid for her drink and offered to buy her takeout, but also because she knew Alex definitely didn't let people in or worry about people's feelings the way she did with Piper, she just knew it.<p>

She then regretted every single one of her actions, except for their kiss. That one she didn't have the guts to even want to forget. No, she wanted to keep that memory for a long, long time.

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>

**ps - Olivia is actually the name of Taylor's cat =)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Since you asked, here's a longer chapter. **

**25 new followers after the last chapter, this is insane! Thank you to each and every single one of you!**

**This chapter is out thanks to bluepaintbox, so if you like it, huge credit goes to her! She's still giving me great feedback and ideas before I update.**

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><p>Piper woke up in the middle of the night, the drinks she had previously taken already showing her signs of dehydration, causing the girl to head to the kitchen for a glass of water. She passed by the living room with her eyes still almost closed, but stumbled into something as she returned: Alex's legs were dangling off the couch that was too small to accommodate her, mouth half open and eyes closed, dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt in an attempt to warm up and snuggled up to the blonde's cat, but it was still obvious that she wasn't comfortable and would have a terrible back ache in the morning.<p>

The blonde sighed, trying to decide if she should just go back to bed and pretend she didn't see anything or to wake the girl up. She decided for the latter and placed her cold hand on Alex's cheek, making her shiver a bit but remained asleep. Piper noticed how soft her skin was and caressed her cheek with her thumb, causing the brunette to yawn and open her eyes as little as possible, not really able to focus on who was waking her up without her glasses.

"Go to bed, Alex" she nudged the sleeping girl as she yawned

A groan and another yawn came from Alex, showing she wasn't completely awake yet.

"Alex" the blonde called out as she shook her shoulder "Alex"

"Whaaat?"

"You gotta go to bed, your back will be ruined if you keep sleeping here"

"Can't" was all she muttered, still half awake

"I'll help you, come on, get up"

"No, I can't" she scratched her eyes "Your cat apparently thinks my air mattress is also a scratching pole and now the air's gone"

"Shit, Olivia!" Piper poked the sleeping cat that didn't even flinch

"Let me go back to sleep"

The blonde took a deep breath, afraid of what she wanted to say, but realized Alex probably wouldn't remember their conversation and decided to go for it "Come on, you can sleep in my bed"

Alex's eyes were both open now; was she seriously being invited to share a bed? Piper was probably just being nice and feeling guilty for being a dick at the bar… or by her cat's actions… Sure, they had been flirting since they met, mostly in a joking matter, but still… Did it mean anything else other than just sleeping? She tried to sit up and a sharp pain shot through her lower back, making her realize the couch would really screw her up, she nodded, allowing the blonde to hold her hand and lift her up, leading both of them into her bedroom.

Alex laid down on her back and almost moaned at how comfortable the bed was. Piper laid beside her and pulled the covers up, covering both of them and staring at the already sleeping girl beside her. She whispered "I'm sorry" and closed her eyes.

Piper woke up feeling one of Alex's arms around her waist, her face really close to the blonde's head, and realized how stunning this girl was, especially during morning time – her skin was flawless, her cheekbones protuberant and those full lips... She traced the rose tattoo on the arm that was still around her body and as she felt Alex move; she decided to get up and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.

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><p>The brunette woke up a couple hours later, still enjoying the warmth and comfort of the bed; the thick duvet covered her body and that pillow, oh, that pillow. It was probably made of feathers and the softest thing she ever recalled touching and that smell… It smelled like a mixture of vanilla and a hint of orange, giving the feeling everything was perfectly clean, like new; it smelled exactly like Piper… who happened to be nowhere in sight.<p>

Alex stretched her whole body and a couple bones crackled but it still felt amazing; she could stay in that bed for days, but it wasn't right. It wasn't her bed or even her room.

Placing her feet on the cold floor she started walking towards the kitchen only to be met with an amazing smell and a certain blonde trying to wash the dishes using her hands.

"Sponges aren't that expensive, you know?"

Piper jumped at the sound and couldn't hold back a smile as she turned around to a barely awake roommate with messy hair scratching her eyes "Sleep well?"

"Oh my god. Your bed is divine" she laid her hands on the counter and smiled back "How did I end up there, anyway?"

Of course she didn't remember.

"My cat's an asshole and you were sleeping on a couch that's 2 sizes too small for your height, so I saved your spine. You owe me one" the blonde winked teasingly

They both smiled and Piper grabbed a tray with steaming hot Italian bread on it, placing it in front of the brunette "I made bread"

"You MADE bread? Who makes bread?" she chuckled

"I thought you were listening when I told you what I'm going to school for"

"You said you were going to culinary school, not… bakery school"

"Yeah, because baking is definitely not a form of cooking... Come on, try it and please give me your honest opinion"

"I feel so spoiled." - It definitely looked and smelled amazing. – "I'll try to sell my soul on your beloved Craigslist to pay for your cooking and for letting me sleep on your bed. I fucking love your bed"

The blonde blushed and looked away so Alex wouldn't notice "Your height wasn't compatible with the couch size… I need your back to be in shape so you can keep your job and give me money" Piper smirked, a bit embarrassed at the reminder they slept on the same bed, hoping to make sense as she tried to say something clever, failing horribly. "You're not bad at rescuing someone from an injury, either, so consider this my way of thanking you"

"Thanking me, huh?" Alex stepped far too close to the blonde and ripped a piece of bread with her bare hands, taking a bite of the delicious food Piper had just baked "Are you thanking me or is this your way of apologizing for being an asshole?" she said between bites, her mouth still full.

"I am NOT an asshole"

The brunette looked at her roommate and gave her a small smile and took another bite of the bread "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you or should I keep guessing? Because I really have no idea why you're mad at me"

"Are you…" she shyly hesitated, trying to change the subject "Are you busy today?"

"Well, I have to buy a bed" Alex said with a smirk "And I have to write some stuff for work but I can do that at any time of the day, really... did you have anything in mind?"

"Oh, ok, no, no I didn't"

"Can you answer my question now?"

Piper shrugged as she looked at the floor, her hands inside her pockets, trying to act casual "Nothing, it's… not your fault"

Alex finished eating and stepped closer, kissing her cheek "If it isn't my fault, then don't make me pay for someone else's mistake" and headed towards her bathroom, turning the water on so she could take a shower.

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><p>"What's under there?" Piper kneeled down, trying to look under the couch where Olivia had been meowing at for about 5 minutes now, when she reached her hand and felt something. She quickly pulled her hand out, afraid of what she'd just touched, when she heard Alex chuckle<p>

"It's just a toy, she always gets it stuck under the couch"

"She doesn't have toys"

"Um, yeah, she does"

Piper returned her hand under the couch and pulled out a grey rubber mouse "Where did this come from?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" a serious expression appeared on the brunette's face "This weird and shady guy in his forties came by this week and left it for her. He also said he missed you and he's coming to pick you up for dinner tonight, so you should probably start getting dressed. Also said something about shrimp?" Alex shrugged and looked at Piper, a weird expression on the girl's face as she made sense of what she'd just heard, and then it clicked:

"THE TINDER GUY? HOLY SHIT HOW DOES HE KNOW MY ADRESS, SHIT SHIT SHIT" the blonde ran to the front door to make sure it was locked and proceeded to do the same with the windows. Crazy Tinder Guy was stalking her! What if the toy mouse was poisoned?! He'd probably been hiding behind trees and following her! "I have to call the cops, shit, I have a stalker-"

Alex started laughing like a maniac, interrupting the rambling, and Piper quickly realized Alex was messing with her, causing her face to turn red in embarrassment.

"He didn't really show up, did he?" Piper said, failing to hide the small smile breaking through as she tried to calm her nerves and realized she was overreacting

Alex tried to regain herself and stop laughing, when she was finally able to speak "No, he didn't, I bought the toy"

"NOT COOL, Al! Not cool at all! You scared the shit out of me" she allowed a grin to take over her face, her dimples now visible.

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><p>As the week progressed, their relationship was finally returning to what it was back when they first met, except for the touching. There was little to no touching from Piper, but not because she didn't want to touch Alex – she wanted to kiss her again, more than everything.<p>

When she arrived home that Friday night, she instantly smelled smoke coming from Alex's room. She opened the door without bothering to knock, fearing she'd find her having sex with someone, but only found Alex sitting by the window, her head propped out as she tried to minimize the cigarette smell and held a bottle of beer in her other hand.

"I told you not to smoke"

The brunette quickly threw her still lit cigarette out the window "I know, I'm sorry, I just… I got this phone call and I guess this was the closest thing to a chemical substance I could get"

"Can I have one?"

Alex frowned but smiled "Rough day?"

"Rough month"

"I know the feeling" Alex grabbed the package and took a cigarette out, handing it to Piper "Do you even know how to smoke?"

"A few times in college" she shrugged "and some blunts at parties"

Alex lifted an eyebrow at the confession; Piper didn't seem like she'd ever dare touch any kind of drug except for alcohol, and handed her the lighter. The blonde took a drag and immediately started coughing, causing Alex to laugh her inexperience but still find it adorable.

"You ok?"

"Yes" another cough "Just not used to nicotine"

Alex just nodded and looked out the window into the surprisingly quiet street

"Do you want to tell me about the phone call?"

_So now she wants to make small talk. Talk about bipolar_

"Just work" the brunette offered her roommate her bottle of beer, still half full "I watched this terrible, terrible play and my boss insists that I have to write an amazing review about it which is impossible considering what I saw"

Piper took a sip and nodded as they both fell back into silence for a few minutes, both of them wanting to talk but not feeling obligated; the silence was somehow enjoyable and comfortable. After they were finished smoking(Alex had lit up another one while Piper was halfway into hers), Piper walked to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of beer, handing her roommate the other one. That scenario repeated itself as they spoke about some stupid encounters and how Piper's partner in baking class is so stupid, he frustrates her; it doesn't help that he asks her out every single day, only to be turned down. Her speech is exaggerated but Alex still pays full attention, and they both take turns to grab more drinks.

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><p>After about 6 bottles each and now sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, Piper was already pretty tipsy, feeling the effects of the alcohol as her inhibition seemed to float away, she finally gathered enough courage to break the silence and blurt out: "Why didn't you kiss me back?"<p>

"Huh?"

She hesitates but still speaks "The day I kissed you" the blonde placed her now empty glass on the floor "You told me I was good enough for you but you didn't kiss me back. Were you just trying to cheer me up?"

"Pipes… It's not like that"

"Answer my question, Alex"

The brunette sighs; this conversation is exactly why she didn't take things further with her roommate. "Because I think you are an amazing person" she lights up another cigarette "And I would hate to break your heart"

"Well look who's humble"

Alex shook her head "I've never been in a relationship, Piper. I told you I'm not good at commitment"

"Seriously? What is so wrong about commitment? And what makes you think I want to have a romantic relationship with you?"

"So you don't?"

"What?" Piper definitely wasn't expecting this and it was visible on her face

"You don't want to be in a relationship with me?"

"Of course I- no! No, I don't. I don't even know if you're a good ki-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as Alex smashed the lit cigarette on the toilet seat ashtray and pulled Piper closer by her waist, locking their lips together into a desperate kiss.

Alex tasted of beer and cigarettes, but it felt like the most delicious combination in the world to the blonde, who intertwined her fingers on the dark hair, pulling her closer in a quick motion, making the girl lose her balance and almost fall down, causing both of them to break the kiss and laugh.

"You were saying…?" Alex had that freaking smirk plastered on her face

"Shut up" Piper smiled and climbed on top of her roommate, her legs around the brunette's waist, bending down to kiss her again.

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><p><strong>So these idiots FINALLY kissed properly, huh? I have two versions in mind for next chapter, one is a fluffy and sappy one and the other will include a bit of drama and more character development, so it's up to you to decide which one you want. Please review telling me which version you'd like to read next. <strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**So many amazing reviews! I wasn't going to post this chapter this week, but your reviews made me hurry up and put something new out. **

**I decided to make it fluffy, and I think I might have overdone it haha so I apologize if you find it too sappy.**

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><p>Alex bit the blonde's bottom lip, returning tongue to meet the other girl and grabbed Piper's thigh just under her butt, pulling her closer and then lifted her hands inside her shirt, running them along the blonde's back. She lifted one of her hands and opened the clasp of Piper's bra, only to feel her pulling away from her lap<p>

"I can't"

"What? Why?"

Piper tried to close her bra but failed. She got up on her feet and ran her fingers through her hair as she sighed

"Piper, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"I can't, I'm sorry, I can't just fuck you"

"Why not?" Alex got up and reached for the blonde's hand

"Because I fucking like you, Alex! I like you so much that I don't want to be just another girl!"

"You're NOT just another girl and you know that"

"Oh yeah? How many girls have you slept with?"

"What? Why does it matter?"

"Answer my question"

Alex hesitated "I don't know"

"Exactly"

"But can we have a quickie?" she said with a jokingly smile; Piper glared at her "What? If I show you what I can do, you'll give up on this 'no sex policy' nonsense"

"I'm going to pretend you never said that" her face still serious, but a small smile was starting to show "Here's the deal: we go on five dates. If it doesn't work out, we'll hold no grudges and continue as friends."

"I can do that"

"However" she took a deep breath "we're only going to have sex when you decide what you truly feel about me"

Alex lifted an eyebrow as if saying 'are you kidding me?!'

"And no, saying that you feel 'horny' doesn't count" she slapped the laughing brunette's shoulder "You have to figure out exactly what you feel about me, whether it's good or bad; you have to be honest with me"

"Ok" what was there to lose, anyway? It was an opportunity for Alex to figure out exactly what she felt towards Piper and things wouldn't be THAT awkward if there wasn't an arrangement.

"Ok?" the blonde didn't think it would be this easy, so she couldn't hide the confusion on her face

"Can I still kiss you though?"

"Maybe, just maybe, I'll give you a goodnight kiss after a date"

"Ok but tonight doesn't count" she moved closer to Piper, holding her by the hips "So I demand we can still fool around tonight"

"Fool around'? What are you, 15?"

"Says the person that acts like they've never had sex" Alex moved the blonde hair behind Piper's ears and kissed her neck "Wait, you're not a virgin, are you?"

"Fuck you" Piper grabbed Alex's face and ran her tongue on her bottom lip

"I really wish you would" she smiled and proceeded to slip her tongue inside Piper's mouth, who didn't object and immediately kissed her back.

The kiss is full of desire and after a few minutes of complete torture by not being able to take it any further, they break apart and smile while looking into each other's eyes.

"Good luck keeping it in your pants for 5 dates" Piper smiled, pecked Alex's lips and headed towards her bathroom to take a shower; she hoped the brunette wouldn't notice she was regretting not letting things go any further; she has always wanted Alex, but now, after those passionate kisses, she wanted all of her, no exceptions.

"Can't wait" Alex sighed as she lit another cigarette and looked out her window, lost in her thoughts.

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><p>The idea of going on not one, but five, FIVE actual dates was haunting Alex. The maximum amount of dates she'd been with another person was no more than 2; sure, she has a couple fuck buddies, but those didn't qualify as dates, in fact, she has never even been on a proper date with any of her booty calls – they were nothing more than just sex. Sometimes she'd just call and meet up, sometimes she'd schedule when they'd meet up, but nothing more than going to each other's apartments or workplace(hey, she enjoyed the thrill of fucking on a public place).<p>

Yet somehow she couldn't wait to go to a restaurant or maybe to the movies with her roommate. Jesus, restaurants or movies? Even she couldn't accept that Alex Vause was THAT unoriginal. Suddenly, an idea finally popped into her head; she opened her laptop, did a few searches and found exactly what she wanted.

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><p>Walking to Piper's room, the door was open and she almost knocked before peeking inside and noticing the girl was already asleep. Alex hesitated but gave in and walked inside to close the blinds, when a voice interrupted her "I'm awake"<p>

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you"

The blonde scratched her eyes and opened them as she yawned "What are you doing?"

"I came to talk to you but you were asleep so I thought I'd close the blinds so you won't wake up when the sun rises"

"Oh, aren't you a charmer?!" she smirked "Still not getting into my pants tonight, Al"

The brunette chuckled "Lunch. Tomorrow. 2pm. Midtown West, you can't be late because I made reservations, and I mean it. Don't. Be. Late" she emphasized every syllable of the last phrase

Piper nodded "Are you asking me on a date? Someone's in a rush"

"I'll text you the address"

Piper nodded again, her eyelids dropping; she patted the bed beside her "Sleep here"

"I'd love to, but I have somewhere I need to go"

Piper's eyes fluttered back open, her temper rising "Are you seriously going to meet someone right now?"

Alex chuckled "Are you jealous?" the blonde grabbed a pillow and threw it at the brunette "No, I'm not going to fuck someone right now although I'd love to be between your legs" hearing those words made Piper blush "I have to do some work that someone made me postpone when she tried to jump by bones"; Alex smirked, throwing the pillow back on the bed and leaving the room.

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><p>Alex probably spent the whole night typing away as she was still asleep on the new mattress in her room. Yes, mattress on the floor, because she still hadn't bought a support for it, insisting she wanted to buy a bedframe that she really liked, not one of those generic looking ones, but still hadn't found what she wanted in the thrift stores she'd visited.<p>

Piper left for class after packing enough make up in her necessaire to reapply it before their date, butterflies dancing in her stomach.

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><p>"You're late" Alex said as Piper approached her, a bit out of breath, but still stunning. Her make-up was fresh and she looked absolutely gorgeous in tight black jeans, high top brown boots and a cream colored knitted sweater with a rather big brown purse hanging on her shoulder – she probably had her knifes and other school supplies inside. Her hair was tied in a pompadour and a few loose strands fell on the sides of her face.<p>

"I'm so sorry, Al, did we miss the reservation?" she kissed the brunette's cheek that placed her hand on the small of her back and led her inside the restaurant

"I knew you'd be late so I told you it was earlier than it actually was" she smirked "We're just in time, come on"

Neither one of them had been to the restaurant before, but Piper had no idea what was behind the door: it wasn't your usual 'sit-and-order' place; instead, it was pretty much the contrary.

"What is this place?"

"Pretty much a DIY experience. We're gonna make our own lunch"

"We're going to cook?!"

"Um, kind of. We're making sushi"

It definitely wasn't your usual first date place of choice, but it was better than any of Piper's expectations. It was just a basic class where you'd eat what you made, and Alex started to doubt it was a good choice, seeing as Piper had cooking classes every day and she could find it tiring and boring, but the smile on the blonde's face and the glistening in her eyes spoke without words and Alex loosened up a bit.

They'd laugh every time they failed at rolling maki's or when Alex emphasized how gross it was to touch raw tuna, making Piper grab a small piece and shove it in her mouth, earning them a glare from the chef teaching the class, but they were too oblivious and caught up in each other that they didn't even notice. The whole class was filled with smiles and touching; Piper would position herself behind Alex and hold her hands as she tried to help the taller girl cut her fish precisely or help her roll her terribly sloppy and loose maki's; the sexual tension increasing with every breath she took on the nape of Alex's neck or every time she held her hand.

They ate together while talking and laughing and Alex bet her that her rolls were better (even though they were the exact same as Piper's), feeding her a few pieces to try to prove her point.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Are you kidding me? I loved it!" the blonde kissed her cheek on the corner of her mouth but Alex pulled her close and kissed her, waiting for Piper to object('maybe, just maybe I will kiss you goodnight'), but she didn't; instead, she kissed back, not caring about their P.D.A. Nothing mattered right now, except for Alex and how thoughtful she was to pick such a perfect place for their first date.

When their lips finally parted, Piper pulled back as she laughed "You're so screwed! You're never going to be able to top this date. Should've saved it for the last one"

"Oh no, kid. Next date's on you"

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><p><strong>This story probably won't be much longer, maybe 3 more chapters, I think. I think ending this one will allow me to get back to my other story...<strong>

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I apologize for the lack of updates and I want to tell everyone this story is not going to be abandoned, so don't worry about it. Not much happens in this chapter, but they are still key points to what's going to happen later on.**

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><p>"That seems like a super fun date!" Lea said while stirring something in the mixer as she stood beside Piper during one of their classes.<p>

"It was amazing!" Piper grabbed a spoon and tasted the mixture, adding another pinch of salt to it and motioning for her lab partner to start the mixer back on "I have no idea how I'm going to top that, she said I'm responsible for the next date"

"You're so screwed!" the red head giggled

"I know, right?" Piper smiled and started chopping some onions "Are you still going out with Nicky? You two left the bar together that night, didn't you?"

"Yeah, we did" she blushed. Lea was a few years younger than Piper, but they still managed to become good friends since being paired together for class. "But nah, I mean, she's more like the 'one night stand' type"

Piper nodded, something bothering her. She knew Alex was the same way – yes, she'd agreed to try something different with the blonde, but she still had her doubts that Alex cared as much for her as she did. Her friend, however, didn't seem to notice the mental turbulence going inside Piper's head and spoke again "Do you think Nicky and Alex ever… you know"

The taller girl shrugged, annoyance filling her brain. She'd never thought of the possibility, but it was clear that the thought of her roommate and her best friend had, at some point, slept together, and that image would haunt her head for days. She didn't realize, but it was obvious that she was quite jealous.

She decided to put that thought in the back of her mind and not to worry about it so much. This was not the time to jump into conclusions, so Piper did what she's always been taught to do: pretended nothing was bothering her and avoiding any kind of confrontation.

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><p>"ALEEEEX" the blonde walked inside the living room and took her iPad from the brunette's hands "We're NOT ordering food! Pizza is the stupidest thing to make!"<p>

"We are NOT cooking" she reached her hand to get the gadget back, while still sitting on the couch, but wasn't successful at all "Piper, I'm serious" she stood up from her seat and grabbed the blonde's arm, regaining possession of the iPad and sliding the screen to unlock it, typing the password Piper had told her a couple days prior "Just sit down and relax for once"

Piper pouted and sighed, sitting down on the turquoise sofa "Fine. Did you pick a movie yet?"

"Yes" the brunette smirked and pointed the remote in her hand at the tv "The Haunting, also known as the best movie ever"

"That movie is from the last century!"

Alex shrugged, sure it was an old movie but it was still a classic. Piper sighed, knowing she would never convince her roommate to choose another movie and reached for her phone, dialing the number of the pizza place that the older girl has Googled "Pick a flavor"

"Mushrooms" the taller girl sat beside the blonde and adjusted the volume on the television, anxiously waiting for the movie to start, resembling a 5 year old on Christmas morning. Piper had started paying more attention to the girl's behavior, and she noticed how excited Alex would get whenever she had the chance to share her knowledge on things she truly cared about. Her eyes would glister every time she discussed her favorite movies, books and basically anything that truly fascinated her – and to the blonde, that simple glow showed how genuine Alex's real passions were and how happy she felt to be able to talk about such things with the blonde, mostly because the shorter girl looked at her like every word that came out of the brunette's mouth to be completely endearing.

It was rare to hear the usually calm and quiet brunette engage in such long conversations, her hand movements, the way her lips curved into smiles and her cheeks would rise every time, making her eyes barely visible under the black framed glasses.

Piper only came out of her "Alex induced gaze" when the girl took the phone from her hands and answered the already impatient pizza attendant, who had already shouted "Hello?" and a few obscenities a few times while blue eyes kept their focus on Alex's face and no words came out of her mouth to actually place their order.

Alex ordered and placed the cellphone on the newly purchased coffee table, lifting her body off the couch just enough to place one of her long legs on the surface and sit on top of it, adjusting herself.

Piper didn't question her phone not being returned – both girls would be busy at least for a couple hours and she intended for the time to be exclusively theirs, with no texts or calls to interrupt. Well, the only allowed interruption would be from the pizza delivery guy.

It wasn't a proper date: the blonde had yet to come up with an idea to top their first date, since it was now her designed responsibility. The sushi restaurant had been very thoughtful and there was no way Piper would ever be able to come up with something as good as that, even if she hadn't given up on finding something that would blow Alex's mind. She wanted that date and, even more, for the remaining 4 dates to end soon, so they would finally come to terms on where they stood. Sure, they had given each other quick pecks as greetings, instead of just a hug or a quick 'hi', and Alex would always try to turn said pecks into proper kisses, but as much as Piper really wanted to kiss her back, she also wanted to wait – if there was one thing she didn't want, that was to be just a one night stand. Sure, she's had her fair share, but not with her roommate. No, not her, because Piper had never, ever felt the same way she did for that girl she barely knew.

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><p>The movie almost made Piper pee her pants. Sure, she liked horror movies, but only the ones you could tell were fake and staged. The one Alex had chosen was too real and too scary for her taste, causing her to gasp and close her eyes during various parts, causing Alex to side eye her and smile to herself, until she eventually paused the movie and turned to the slightly shivering blonde "Do you want to stop?"<p>

"Nooo, no, it's ok, I'm just cold, and that's why I'm snuggling the blanket…" she said, fiddling with a loose thread on her blanket.

Alex smirked and lifted an eyebrow "I can think of other ways to get you hot and actually sweaty"

Piper glared at her while a smile appeared on the sides of her lips "Very funny" she leaned down and grabbed another piece of pizza from the tiny table in front of them "If you're so eager to take me to bed then you should take me on at least four more dates"

The brunette watched her in amusement. Yes, of course she wanted to have those 4 dates already and jump into bed with Piper, but she still hadn't figured out (or at least admitted to herself) what her true feelings for her roommate were, and she wasn't quite ready to face them. Besides, and this was actually the winning point, it had already been stablished that the next date would be on Piper; Alex would never abandon her pride and do something different than she had previously decided: "Nice try. Next date is still on you. But don't worry, I won't get my hopes up, I know any ideas you could possibly come up with for a date would never be as good as mine" she winked

Was Alex seriously challenging Piper? The blonde's brain was in flames, desperately running through her whole knowledge of films and stories she had read or heard of, hoping to remember a date that would be good enough to take the taller girl on, just like she had done the previous night and the one before that, but still, nothing came to mind and they fell into silence as Piper's mind remained far away and her hands automatically guided the pizza to her mouth.

The taller girl moved closer to the blonde and put her arm around hers. The shorter girl didn't come out of her daze but still nodded, making Alex understand the message and press 'play'. Each day that passed made it easier for them to understand each other, even in complete silence. Be it while one of them knows exactly when to grab the iPad from the other one's hands and dial whatever number is on the screen, or how Piper has completely nailed the art of brewing fresh coffee whenever Alex needs a caffeine kick, or the way the blonde will call out from the bathroom and the brunette knows it's because she needs a towel, or even when one of them has a bad day and the other one is instantly able to read their facial expression, be it to leave them alone or bring home a bottle of wine or beer; As each day passed, they became more and more in synch.

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><p><strong>I've struggled to write Piper's date but no idea seems good enough for her first choice for a date(I've postponed the content I already had so they can happen later on in the story), so if you have an idea, PLEASE share!<strong>

**And don't worry, the next chapters are finally going to include some bed action.**

**So, since you guys asked, I've decided to make this story longer. Thing is, I now have to re-write everything I had already written down, which includes their following dates. The good news is, I've got a bit of content ready, so I should be able to put a new chapter up soon.**

_**This is me begging: PLEASE review. I think every story comes to a standstill at some point, and this is mine. Every time my phone beeps and it's an email with a review, I feel terribly guilty for not updating and start brainstorming new ideas… so yeah, consider reviewing your way of smacking me in the head and forcing me to write. :P**_


	12. Chapter 12

**AMAZING suggestions and reviews. You guys make my day. Some of you make me smile even wider when I get the email notification with your usernames on it; you all have no idea how happy this makes me.**

**As for the people that ask about my other story, I swear it will be updated... eventually. Sorry!**

**I want to dedicate this chapter to two people that played a crucial part on this chapter, bluepaintbox and PiedPepper. You two are the best.**

**Please don't kill me for this!**

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><p>Alex knocked on Piper's bedroom door, despite it being half open, seeing as neither one of them usually closed theirs, and walked inside.<p>

"Hey Pipes, do you think I can borrow that black suitcase you have? The smaller one"

Piper lifted an eyebrow "Sure… What do you need it for?"

Alex had an honest smile on her face and her tone showed excitement "I'm going to LA!"

A confused look appeared on the shorter girl's face, along with a hint of something Alex couldn't figure out what it was "Why? When? Is Nicky going with you?"

The brunette smiled "It's for work! All expenses paid! I am going on a proper trip and it's all paid for!"

Alex hadn't travelled much, not to mention across the country. Sure, she had a way of hiding her emotions, a near perfect poker face, but she didn't even try to hide the growing smile on her lips. Maybe she was comfortable letting the blonde know how important this was to her, maybe she didn't care as much and let her guard down for a second. She couldn't explain it herself, but she wanted Piper to be happy for her, so much that she didn't notice the blonde was slightly hurt.

"When do you leave? How long are you going to be gone for?"

"Tomorrow! Can you believe it? I'll be there for a week! One whole week with room service and sun! I can't believe I'll feel the sun on my skin in November!"

Piper swallowed the lump in her throat and looked into her roommate's eyes, trying to fake a smile "That's good, Al"

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows and sat on the edge of the bed "You're not happy for me?"

"I am, I just…" she looked down shyly

Alex scooted closer to her and rested her hand on the blonde's thigh "Keep talking"

"So no more dates?"

Alex chuckled "You're the one that hasn't asked me out on one"

"I can't think of anything that will be just as good as yours, you were right…" she looked at the brunette's face for a quick second before looking at the hand that was resting on her thigh "I'm trying, I really am, Al, I just don't want to fail"

She squeezed Piper's thigh and lifted her chin with her other hand "Stop trying to get my approval and just take me somewhere already"

A smile appeared on both of their faces and they stared at each other for a while, before Piper rested her hand on top of Alex's and broke the silence "What time does your flight leave tomorrow?"

"Around 9 pm from JFK" the brunette moved her free hand to tuck some blonde hair behind the girl's ear

"Shit, I have a test I really can't miss tomorrow, shit, shit"

Alex smiled as she thought about how Piper is such a clean cut girl, yet she has such a dirty mouth. That's the thing that intrigued her: the moment you saw the blonde, you would assume everything about her was predictable, but she always had a way of proving you wrong.

"Do you think you can pick me up after school at like… around 3? Or maybe we could have lunch together?"

"Are you inviting me on a date?"

The blonde bit her lip trying to suppress a smile and play it cool, a small part of her thinking the girl would deny her invitation; "Is that a yes?"

Alex squeezed her thigh and smiled, not saying a word, but of course it was a 'yes'.

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><p>Sure enough, the brunette was standing by the culinary school at 3pm sharp. Piper finally came out of the building and smiled before kissing the taller girl's cheek, which placed a hand on the blonde's lower back "So where are you taking me?"<p>

"You'll see!"

Seeing as they didn't have much time before Alex had to go to the airport and Piper was pretty sure the place they were heading to could keep the girl busy for many hours, she decided to catch a cab. The Upper West Side wasn't far away from the Culinary School in Manhattan and it only took them about 12 minutes to arrive at a very tiny store with piles of books in front of it and a dark green awning that had the words "Westsider Rare and Used Books" written in gold lettering, followed by a phone number.

Alex's eyes quickly lit up when she took sight of the store – it was small, dusty, cramped, and claustrophobic even, and she absolutely loved everything she could place her eyes on. The whole place was covered in books, from the floor to the ceiling and the stairs also had books sitting on each and every step, in what was probably the owners attempt to fit even more books in the cramped store. The smile that adorned Alex's face became even wider when she looked at the blonde that had yet to look around and change her gaze from the taller girl's face. "This place is insane! How did you find it?"

"I came here earlier this week to buy a cookbook that I couldn't find on Amazon… And as soon as I arrived, I couldn't shake off the feeling that you would fall in love with it" she motioned for the brunette to walk further inside, walking beside her

"So you couldn't stop thinking of me, huh?" her signature smirk invaded her face, making Piper blush a little because, well, it was true.

Piper ignored the remark, not wanting to deny it but not brave enough to admit it "So last night I figured you could use a few books for your trip. What are you waiting for? Go explore!"

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><p>About an hour later and with 3 books already in her hands, Alex carefully walked up the tiny stairs, trying not to step on one of the many books and ran into Piper, who stood in a corner sticking her hand up trying to reach a book that was on a higher shelf. The second floor was slightly less crowded than the first one, but just as magnificent. The taller girl easily reached up and grabbed the book the blonde wanted, but instead of passing it to her, she decided to take a look at it.<p>

"Emily Bronte, huh?"

Piper nodded at the mention of the author

"This is a very confusing book, but really good nonetheless"

"Is there anything you haven't read yet?"

"Maybe you have some hidden tattoo with a pretty little font that I've never seen, but I'm more than willing to do a full body search to find it"

Piper laughed "I don't"

"I'd like to confirm that with my own eyes" Alex moved closer and placed her free hand on the blonde's hip

"I'm sure you would" she wrapped her arms around the brunette "What about you? Any secret tattoos?"

"Why don't you look and find out for yourself?"

Piper didn't have a chance to reply as Alex bought their lips together and squeezed the girl's hip, making her tighten the grip around Alex, kissing her back.

The kiss intensified and soon their tongues joined. Alex slowly pushed Piper against the cramped bookshelf and sneaked her hands inside her shirt, running her fingertips along the girl's stomach, giving her the goose bumps. Alex soon noticed this was a weak spot for the blonde and increased the speed of her ministrations, her other hand now running along Piper's back, her fingernails lightly scratching the skin.

Piper moved her hands to Alex's neck and pulled her closer as her bottom lip was sucked by the brunette while she placed one of her thighs between the blonde's legs. Piper let out a moan that was suppressed by red lips and adjusted her body, spreading her legs a bit wider to grant Alex more access.

The taller girl moved her hand from Piper's stomach to her breast and started kneading it on top of the girl's bra, making both of their libidos increase and causing Piper to grind against Alex's thigh, desperately wanting more friction between her legs. The heat radiating from their make out session was increasing and Alex moved her hand to massage Piper's breast from under the bra's fabric, causing the girl to moan at the bare skin touch.

Alex's mind was so lost in Piper she didn't even notice the vibrations coming from the phone in her pocket, causing Piper to unconsciously grind harder on Alex's thigh, until it finally clicked and she broke their kiss, taking the device out of her pocket and staring at the screen

"Shit, we have to go"

The blonde groaned in frustration "Seriously?"

"I'm sorry Pipes, I can't miss that flight. I have to pick up my luggage at home… Are you taking me to the airport?"

Piper smiled and nodded, trying to fix her shirt and ignore the moisture between her legs when Alex grabbed her hand and they headed downstairs to pay for the books they had chosen(Piper insisted on paying until the brunette finally gave in) and then made their way home, before facing the terrible traffic to the airport.

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><p>Time was flying by and neither one of the women wanted to go their separate ways. Alex was better than Piper at hiding her emotions, but still wished the younger girl could tag along; it would be thrilling to spend a week in a great hotel where they could finally finish what they had already started twice now.<p>

They stood near the Departure sign, one of Alex's arms wrapped around Piper's shoulder. The blonde lifted her hand to touch Alex's and intertwined their fingers as the brunette occasionally whispered something that would cause the shorter girl to giggle, extremely turned on by the raspy voice near her ear but also because she felt completely at ease with the girl that finally seemed to be opening up and getting comfortable with the idea of acting like a silly couple, instead of a one night stand…

Speaking of 'one night stands', Alex was so focused on Piper, who had let go of her hand and was fidgeting in her pockets to grab money and buy them something to drink that she didn't notice someone approaching them;

The Psycho fuck buddy took angry and heavy steps towards Alex, upset that she hadn't been answering her booty calls or texts, but looking at the brunette in a black leather jacket has always turned her on, so she doesn't hold back and grabs Alex's face, pulling her into a kiss and proceeded to exclaim "Out of all the places I could run into you, I didn't think this was a valid option!"

Piper stared at the scene unfolding in front of her wide eyed, her anger building up that Alex stood still and didn't push the girl away. It was obvious this was one of Alex's fuck buddies, and the blonde couldn't help but want to punch the girl's face.

"Piper, this is not what it looks like" Alex released herself from the woman's grip and turned to the blonde, reaching for her arm as she tried to make sense and explain to her what was going on and turned her face to the intruder "What the fuck, Sam!"

"Ohh come on hun, she is cute." Sam looked at Piper up and down, clearly judging the girl's looks "Is she the one that's gonna join us for that threesome you owe me?"

Piper's mouth went agape and she was ready to turn her back on both women, terribly upset at this Sam girl's audacity, all she wanted to do was get away from that situation and leave the airport before Alex could realize how insulted and hurt she felt, but they were interrupted by the sound of speakers:

"ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 789D TO LOS ANGELES, NOW BOARDING AT GATE 5"

Alex looked at her watch and realized she was already late to board her plane. Her eyes darted from Piper to Sam, not knowing who she should speak to first. She knew she was in trouble with Piper and that was the last thing she wanted, especially before leaving for a week, but at the same time she wanted to get rid of her former fuck buddy so she wouldn't listen to her conversation with the blonde.

Looking back at Piper, Alex made her decision and grabbed the shorter girl's hands and dragged her away from the intruder, completely ignoring her presence and squeezing her roommate's hands while she heard the speakers go off again, requiring her to board. She didn't have much time left and she needed to convince Piper that she wasn't a complete asshole.

"Pipes, it's not what it seems, I swear, I haven't talked to her in a long time, I've ignored each and every one of her calls and-"

She was interrupted by the now angry blonde "Is that what you're gonna do to me when you find a new distraction?! Ignore me and act like I don't exist?!"

"What?! Are you crazy? Of course not-"

"Board your plane, Alex" she tried to release her hands but the brunette's grip was firm and she didn't let go.

"You have to believe me, I don't think you're like that!"

The blonde shook her head from side to side in disbelief at whatever was happening at that moment. Just a few minutes ago she was listening to Alex's voice in her ear that spoke about places they could go when she returned and hinted how much she wished she could just take Piper right there, and now she's fighting back the tears that threaten to fill her eyes.

"LAST CALL FOR FLIGHT 789D TO LOS ANGELES, BOARDING AT GATE 5. LAST CALL"

The taller girl groaned at the urgency and took Piper's face on her hands, moving their faces closer "You have to believe me"

Piper looked down avoiding the green eyes in front of hers "Alex, just… Go board your plane, it's getting late, I'm going home"

"Piper" she looked straight into the blue eyes in front of her "The only person I'm seeing is you" she moved a few strands of blonde hair and tucked them behind the girl's ear "I'll explain everything to you when I come back, there are some things you need to know about me and this is a conversation for us to have face to face, but believe me when I say I want nothing to do with her"

Piper closed her eyes and nodded, moving away from Alex and leaving the airport without looking back at her.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading and please review!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Please read AN at the end!**

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><p>There has never been a time in her life when Piper didn't create absurd scenarios and conversations in her mind, and this time was no different.<p>

Alex had been gone for two days and still hadn't gotten in touch, which was predicted since the brunette had made it very clear their conversation about the event in the airport had to be face to face. That was one of the biggest differences in their behaviors: Alex is always straight to the point, she knows exactly what she wants and she can go on for days in silence, while the blonde is making up conversations and fights in her head or lightning her phone's screen every thirty seconds, even though she knows there won't be any new notifications or missed calls from Alex.

However, Piper decided not to give in and be the first one to text or call, because she knew she actually hadn't done anything wrong.

There was nothing for Piper to do but wait for Alex to return home.

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><p>Even if the sun had come out, Alex wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the warm weather in LA, simply because her mind was often in New York; more specifically one room away from hers at home.<p>

Staying in silence wasn't as easy as Alex made it look like. Keeping a straight face and hiding her emotions had never been a problem in the girl's life, but that didn't mean her mind didn't often wander to Piper's eyes, her lips and the way they tasted against her own mouth, or how her hands were surprisingly firm on Alex's hips; She wasn't able to fight daydreaming about their make out session at the bookstore, but most of the time, she thought about how much she fucking missed Piper and how screwed up their relationship was at this point – she understood that avoiding the calls and being an asshole to a former 'lover'(as Piper would probably describe it, even if Alex had no real feelings for her fuck buddy at all) sounded like, but she couldn't grasp the fact that she didn't feel that way about Piper, that whatever that scary feeling was, it was still composed of only good and happy intentions.

Piper was different.

She didn't know how deep her feelings were, but this was a completely new sensation; thinking about whatever that person is doing at the time, wondering if she's been eating properly or skipping school. It was a combination of little things, ordinary things, but they were always on her mind. Piper was always on her mind.

And the possibility of falling in love absolutely terrified Alex.

But everything eventually caught up to her.

It was the end of the third day of her trip and, miraculously, she had been released from her duties earlier than the past days and decided to make the most of her night(and try to think about something other than her roommate). Alex had accepted an invitation from a couple of other writers and headed to a bar with them straight after work, gulping down on beer after beer, only stopping for the eventual cigarette break she'd often take outside the establishment. She had become a chain smoker the past few days.

Martha was a popular blogger working at the same event as Alex, and the two were quick to strike a conversation and take a cigarette break together; The brunette didn't notice how her company wouldn't even smoke most of the times and she'd giggle at anything Alex said, not trying to be any subtle about her flirting.

As Martha pulled out a joint and lit it, the strong smell invaded the streets and Alex's nostrils, the brunette shifted her gaze to the blogger, who smiled trying to look seductive and stuck her arm out, offering her a hit. Alex did her best not to roll her eyes as she took the joint, placing it on her mouth and leaving some red lipstick on it, which made the blogger very turned on and Alex slightly irritated.

Even if didn't have the same effect as weed, smoking cigarettes with Piper was definitely more enjoyable.

And then it finally hit Alex: EVERYTHING was more enjoyable with Piper, and she had fallen on a trap. It was too late when she realized she did, in fact, want to be with the blonde as much as she could; she missed her voice, her silly laugh and eventual snorts when she got too carried away or how focused she looks while trying a new recipe, hoping to archive perfection, how she furrows her eyebrows while filling a bake sheet or separating egg whites.

It wasn't purely sexual.

Alex missed all of Piper.

The brunette carelessly returned the joint to its owner and turned around, completely ignoring Martha's presence, and started walking towards her hotel as she typed a simple 'Hi' and pressed 'send'.

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><p>The doorbell rang incessantly and the knocks on the door grew impatient by the minute, until Piper finally jumped out of the bathtub to answer the door, towel around her body and a very upset expression on her face.<p>

Nicky stood behind the door and sighed in an annoyed tone "What the fuck took you so long, blondie?!"

"Nicky? What do you want? Alex is not here"

"No shit!" the short girl rolled her eyes and let herself in, carrying a rather small pine tree and setting it on top of the living room's coffee table.

Piper watched the scene unfolding in front of her in disbelief "What's that doing in my living room?!"

Nicky smirked and headed to the fridge, grabbing herself a bottle of water and plopping down on the couch

"Nicky, I'm talking to you"

She shrugged "I don't make the rules. Just making a delivery"

"Well, I don't need a tree"

"No, but Vause does" she started looking for the remote

"Wait, what? I'm pretty sure Alex is not a Christmas enthusiast"

Nicky shrugged again "Ask her when she comes back. When's that, anyway?"

"Isn't that your job as a friend to know?"

Nicky let out a laugh "I don't even know what day today is!"

Piper once again rolled her eyes and pressed the 'home' button on her phone. No new messages from Alex.

"Is that all, Nicky?"

The short girl chuckled "Trying to get rid of me already, blondie?! I was about to ask if I could have something to eat"

"Eat? Really?"

"Yeah, Vause told me you're like, Masterchef good"

"Alex doesn't even watch Masterchef!"

"Fine" she shrugged "But she did say it was orgasmic-like"

Piper's eyes widened in surprised and she blushed a little "She did?", the blonde said with a shy but hopeful tone

"Yeah, yeah" Nicky stood up and walked towards the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a fruit that was inside a bowl "The fuck is this?"

"Guava"

The short girl laughed and threw the fruit to the blonde "This shit isn't ripe!"

A confused look appeared on the taller girl's face. She had an assignment to create a desert using a tropical fruit and the farmer's market vendor convinced her this would guarantee she'd get a good grade and that it was ready to be eaten, so she believed him and bought a dozen, convinced she needed enough to fix any mistakes she could make while creating something from scratch "And how would you know?!"

"Hand me a knife"

Piper did as she was told and Nicky sliced the fruit in two, showing both parts to the blonde "See, it's still green on the outside, that means it's not ripe" she put them on the counter "It has to be yellow on the outside and cunt colored on the inside"

Piper's eyes widened again. She wasn't used to that kind of language "Jesus! You couldn't just say… pink-ish?"

"And why would I ruin the fun of seeing your reaction? Besides, cunts taste better than anything anyway" she shrugged

"How do you even know when guava is ripe?"

The short girl moved her eyes from Piper and opened the fridge, finding a bottle of beer and opening it with her teeth "I just do"

The blonde rolled her eyes "Seriously, tell me"

"My fucking mother's boyfriend is Brazilian" she took a sip "They sell this shit on the streets and the sellers usually know where you can find dope, which was very necessary in order to put up with my mother, so it was a win-win kind of purchase"

Piper nodded, not wanting to push the seemingly delicate subject and Nicky headed towards the front door, saying she'd see her around and that she'd better have food next time, closing the door behind her.

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><p>The next day, Piper couldn't wait to get home from class. The new seafood chefteacher was giving her a particularly hard time and the pressure was getting to her, so all she could think about was binge eating unhealthy snacks and drinking something to warm her up while watching anything on tv.

Plopping down on the couch, she removed her shoes using her own feet and searched for the remote when she felt something buzzing on the couch, which was fairly odd since her phone was out of battery since last night.

After the second buzz, Piper stuck her hand between the cushions and found a phone she presumed could only be Nicky's and the only thing her eyes could focus on was the name on the screen that read 'Vause', accompanied by many Facebook chat notifications. Nicky and Alex were talking to each other this exact moment!

Curiosity got the best of her and Piper tried to unlock the screen and thanked whatever higher force there was for the fact the phone didn't have a password.

_N: so u're telling me u blew martha fucking miller off! fuck is wrong with u?_

**A: You're the one that told me to give it a shot with Piper!**

_N: yea but u two arent together so y the fuck does it matter if u bang a hot chick?_

Piper's heart was racing as she waited for Alex to type an answer. After what seemed like forever, the phone buzzed and the blonde almost dropped it on the floor

**A: Piper's… different**

_N: bullshit! if u really wanted ud have texted her by now_

**A: I did but she didn't text me back.**

As she re-read the last part of their conversation, not believing her eyes the first time, Piper realized Alex had in fact texted her, but her phone was out of battery. Running to her room with Nicky's phone still in her hand, Piper plugged her own phone to the power and cursed how long it took to charge it enough so that she could turn it on.

As soon as the 'Home' screen loaded, a single notification appeared on her screen:

**From Alex:**

**I meant it when I said I was only dating you. I miss you, kid. Wish you were here.**

For the first time that week, a smile spread across the blonde's face.

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><p><strong>I really don't like this chapter, I feel it lacks Vauseman together, but it's been a month since the last update and if anyone's still reading this, I felt like I had to put something out.<strong>

**Regarding the lack of updates, I can only apologize. **

**I thought about saying that 'life's getting in the way', but that would be vague, and I get so many amazing messages from people that are truly interested in this that I felt the need to explain:**

**after almost 6 years of living together, we have decided to head our separate ways and move to different states. That means I've got to make repairs to our current apartment(otherwise we cannot return it, since it's rented), organize moving trucks(really hard to do with the holidays coming up), get the cats taken to vets(not to mention of them was sick and demanded a lot of attention), find a new place, do all the legal paperwork, pack our lives separately; all of that along with preparing a two year old to be alright emotionally since he will no longer stay with me(and I stay with him 24/7, which is also a very demanding task when I'm the one that cooks, cleans etc). Besides, my emotions are a fucking wreck, which caused me to have a terrible case of writer's block.**

**Anyway, I really have a lot going on right now and even though that's none of your faults, I just haven't had the time or the motivation to sit down and write. Once again, I apologize.**

**I'm moving in the beginning of January and hope to have more frequent updates after that. Please stick around!**

**I appreciate any suggestions/ideas/feedbacks and I'm looking forward to your amazing reviews. You are all fucking awesome and helping me get through this fucked up month.**


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